Commissioner Mary Adams has called for a committee of individuals who are interested in developing guidelines for complying with the common core curriculum handed down by the Federal government.

And, while it is prudent to take steps necessary to secure the Federal funding necessary to maintain our current funding, it is not wise to continue to spend time and money in support of a system of education that has proven, year after year, to fail to provide an excellent education to all of America’s children.

There have always been standards of performance for students and teachers and like the Common Core those standards are lax in their “rigor” and unmeasurable except for a “norm referenced” group of individuals.

The expectation for the Common Core curriculum is that it will be used to assess students and teachers on their educational progress and teaching abilities. It will do neither.

In order to assess students properly, Common Core standards cannot be “student will” statements. If levels of ability are preset for students, their true gifts and talents will never be recognized as relevant to the norm.

Instead, Common Core standards, that align with the developmental learning abilities of all children should read, “Student is able to”.

In order to properly assess teacher’s instructional capabilities, there should be included in the Common Core, “teacher will” statements.

For example, “Teacher will, in accordance with the developmental learning ability of the student, observe, note, and construct lessons that specifically address the multiple intelligences of the students enrolled in their classes.”

We cannot continue to capitulate to the small battles and expect to win the war to change the current system of education from one that dehumanizes our children to a system of education that inspires the creativity, ingenuity, individuality, and spirituality of our children.

Commissioner Adams is, understandably, working within the system to open the doors of education to the community however, upon entering we must not accept what is before us but work diligently to change what has been forced upon us.

Our children are not “common”.

Join the Movement to Save Our Children!