St. Tammany Parish is one of the state of Louisiana’s high-performing districts. Its board passed a far-reaching resolution declaring that it was dropping out of the Common Core standards and would not administer the PARCC assessments. Its resolution explained why it was not willing to participate in this disruption to its schools:
It objects to federal control of its curriculum;
The CCSS were written and implemented too quickly, without due deliberation;
Compliance with CCSS and PARCC involves huge expenses, in relation to equipment, upgrades, time, and effort;
It objects to the data-sharing agreements that are associated with CCSS;
It sees CCSS and PARCC as an unfunded mandate.
For these and other reasons, the school board said “no thanks.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Courage, plain and simple. Let’s pray this starts a landslide.
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Any of these is reason enough. But there are far more reasons as well. Wonderful news! Congrats to the still free people of St. Tammany Parish!
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WHEREAS, the members of the St. Tammany Parish School Board, duly elected by the citizens of the parish, believe that education is not the mandate of the Federal Government or any national board;
Indeed!
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How is it possible? Doesn’t that mean they are giving up federal funding?
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Susan,
Race to the Top funding is a tiny percentage of education spending. Since Louisiana didn’t win RTTT, the parish schools probably gave up nothing but mandates.
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What consequences do they face? Do the old AYP requirements (which were federal law) from NCLB come back to haunt them?
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Small correction- Louisiana did receive $17 million in phase 3 of RTTT, but it is my understanding that St. Tammany is not actually receiving any of those funds. Only certain parishes have received them.
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It’s an overwhelmingly white, fairly affluent parish. None of its schools are Title I eligible, so it likely wasn’t getting any / much federal funding to begin with.
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We’re in a very affluent district too but federal funding is 20% of our budget which our Superintendent says we could never give up (but we are opting out of our minimal RTTT funding for this school year). I guess they can afford to somehow, or prioritized giving it up. Also, CCSS are woven into teacher contracts….maybe no unions down there? I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to opt out of the CCSS. Inspiring 🙂
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Both schools that my son has attended in St. Tammany are 65% free/reduced lunch. They both receive Title I funding. A quick look over the free/reduced lunch for all elementary schools in the parish from LDOE website:
Out of 25 total elementary schools:
3 are 21-30%
4 are 31-40%
3 are 41-50%
1 is 51-60%
4 are 61-70%
3 are 71-80%
5 are 81-90%
2 are 91-100%
Yes, there are affluent areas of St. Tammany parish, but there are some very non-affluent areas, also.
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Tim you are very wrong. There are schools in our parish that are Title one funded. In 2011 45.7% of our students were on free/reduced lunch, my school included!
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Susan, can you talk more about CCSS being woven into teacher contracts? Do teachers sign a contract to uphold CCSS?
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Thanks for that information, parentsofpvms. There’s a seeming disconnect here: the Census shows that only about 10% of <18-year-olds in the parish are living below the poverty level, yet the overwhelming majority of the elementary schools are eligible for Title I funding. Do a substantial number of kids in the parish attend private school, or is something not being captured in the Census data?
(Of course, we could probably have a very long separate conversation about how blunt of a measurement the free/reduced price lunch statistic is, but I'll save that for another day.)
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Title 1 refers to the children who qualify for free or reduced lunch, not the # of students living at or below the federal poverty level. To qualify for free lunch the income cap is 130% of the federal poverty level. To qualify for reduced lunch, the income cap is 185% of the FPL.
If you look at the table in the link, you will see the incomes. People making more than the federal poverty level still struggle and need assistance. I know I would have a hard time support my family of four at 130% (or even 185%) of the FPL.
Click to access IEG_Table-032913.pdf
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concernedmom (great handle!), I’m aware of the criteria and built that into my guesswork. hopefully parentsofpvms is still following and can tell us if there are mitigating factors–private schools, an influx of people relocated from Katrina, etc.
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Joanna
There was no need to “weave” committment to upholding CCSS in teacher contracts because RTTT required that teacher evaluations be tied directly to student test scores – oncluding PARCC or SBAC exams – or similar assessments aligned to CC.
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Not so sure about “overwhelmingly white, fairly affluent parish”. Maybe the rest of the parish, but not on the south side of Slidell. Salmen High School, my alma mater, is probably 65% African American with HUD Subsidized Apartment complexes accross the street(more breaking ground as I type) and 2 others within 2 miles away. The first phase that is across the street from the school is referred to by Salmen Students as the Salmen Dorms!!!!
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concernedmom – Thanks for the explanation on free/reduced lunch. I was not sure exactly how that worked.
Tim – I pulled up the census quick facts and see that it does indeed show 10% living below poverty in St. Tammany.It also shows Louisiana at 18% and US at 14%. All of those numbers seem really low to me. I looked at where the level is set for the census and a family of 4 is $23,492 – pretty low, especially considering that the poverty level is set at $11,720 for 1 person. This could be the reason.
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The vast majority of kids in St. Tammany Parish attend public schools – it’s why people want to live in St. Tammany – it is the highest-rated large school district in the state. My son attends a Title I junior high, as we live rurally, and he is bussed into a downtown area school. My other son attends a private Christian school.
St. Tammany Parish passed a RESOLUTION to get out of PARCC and Common Core, directed at the BESE, the governor, and the legislature ASKING to be allowed to do away with Common Core here because our previous standards were higher, and were clearly successful. (For example, our parish had 14 National Merit Scholars last school year – the most in Louisiana.) St. Tammany has NOT gotten out, yet. The point I like to make with this regard is this: If the top large school district in the state is not allowed to get out of PARCC and Common Core when the overwhelming majority of people here want out, and the school board has passed this strong Resolution asking to be removed from these requirements, this is clear evidence that all local control of education is gone in this country.
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As a teacher in St. Tammany at a Title I school, I can tell you how so many qualify for free lunch: on the application form they list the kids and Mom ( and her income) but not the Dad or his income because they are not married! ( though they live together and have a good combined income). So because she is a single mom, her kids all qualify. I know this because I collected the forms and know the family situation. Some of them actually had a better income that I did as a teacher!
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“unfunded mandate” no doubt. Let the voters decide, run a levy to pay for the millions of dollars it will cost to run CC. No money, no core, that’s basic fiscal responsibility, and where the rubber meets the road.
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Every school district has a choice to make its decision. There’s absolutely no reason to put locally-approved curriculum under the federal control–especially if schools have a decent record on academic achievement. No money, no federal-approved textbooks, testing, instructional guidance, whatsoever. DOE is not (and should NOT be) an American version of the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Technology(a.k.a. MEXT), period.
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I sent the resolution to my principal.
This has improved my spirits this morning (Saturday’s rainbow sighting has worn off and I’m feeling glum again about where to send my son for school etc).
General question for anyone interested enough to have an opinion: could I be a better advocate for public education (in speaking out against the reform status quo) as a parent if I were not a teacher? Or do I gain an insider’s view as a teacher? I can’t decide where I would be most useful (I live in a right to work state). Wherever it is, that’s where I want to be.
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and by where I mean in a school or not in a school (we are not leaving NC).
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Joanna,
It is always nice for parents to have access to an insider voice. You obviously love teaching, so fight from the inside for as long as you can. You are still a parent whether you are teaching or not. The right choices will become apparent with time, so do what your heart tells you.
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Joanna- as a parent (I realize I am making a presumption), we advocate for our own child, regardless of our vocation. As an educator we are advocates for ALL children because that is our vocation! Wisdom in what you express and maturity in how you express it will be much more important than whether one is an educator or not.
In speaking out be positive, upbeat and factual. Identify what does work and why as well what does not work and why. At the same time let all know how the things that don’t work harm children educationally as well as emotionally and those that do work extoll the associated benefits.
Parents (also read as taxpayers) are the key to halting this horrible model the US is moving towards. Your words will have an impact and your passion will hasten change!
Good luck.
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Rudy, thank you. Well said. Good words for thought.
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Reblogged this on 21st Century Theater.
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Reblogged this on Crazy Crawfish's Blog and commented:
St Tammany has gained some national attention for their bold move, to thwart the state, and close to half a dozen parishes look to be not far behind. From the grilling John White and BESE president Chas Roemer got by the legislature this week it looks like our legislature may act to delay or withdraw from CCSS as well. If Governor Bobby Jindal’s behavior is anything like his abandonment of his sales tax increase plan, he will meekly follow along with the legislature and claim credit for rejecting Washington interference in local education, except this time he will be right, even if he is just boldly leading from the rear, as usual.
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He INVITED the federal government into our state’s education system by signing up for this mess. You can’t really believe that he didn’t know what he was doing? I agree that he will try and save face, but HE did this, and I — for one — hold him responsible (not just him, but he was one of the main 3 guys). He was all about his grandiose plans for “education reform,” and he spouts all that talking-points nonsense from Achieve, Inc. about “competing in the 21st century global economy” all the time. He’s running around the country on Jeb Bush’s coattails whining about Eric Holder’s suing Louisiana. (And I voted for the guy – twice. I want my money back – I’m done with this guy.)
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He likes them here when it’s convenient but if they mess with his voucher program that scores 30 points lower on state tests he wants them to back off. Afterall, the majority of the voucher students are just minorities anyway he and White claim.
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What consequences does a school district face if they choose to drop out of RTTT, CCSS, and/ot the NCLB waiver plan????
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http://my.entertainment.yahoo.com/video/common-core-hearing-sets-stage-010037427.html
I am so PROUD of my ENTIRE St. TAMMANY PARISH SCHOOL BOARD who had the courage, compassion, and wisdom to do the right thing for the children of Louisiana. Because of principled people like you and other child advocates around this state, all have attracted the attention of legislators on both sides of the aisle (Including Representatives Cameron Henry, John Bel Edwards, and many more)Many Louisiana legislators are now engaged and are recognizing the harmful policies being imposed on our children. Thank you legislators for moving to take control of this ship (away from Superintendent John White, BESE, and Governor Jindal) steering our children safely through the unchartered waters of the insidious Common Core State Standards Initiative.
Thank you Diane for posting.
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This resolution is a request to be removed. As of yet, it has not been honored. St. Tammany is still required to teach CC and take the PARCC assessment. The way I see it – BESE and John White will not allow it. My hope is that when it gets to the legislature we can rid ourselves of this mess. My fear is that there is a lot of talk lately about poor implementation and that all that will be done is to slow the pace down somewhat instead of getting rid of it completely. Not good enough. We have so many wonderful, dedicated people. We will keep fighting!!
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Can’t the St. Tammany principals simply maill the unopened test boxes back to your state ed dept?
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The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) is the governing body of Louisiana K-12 schools. Their rules are binding by law. They adopted the CCSS as the state standard. They will not accept St. Tammany’s resolution. Our next hope is the state legislature.
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What are the consequences for a school district if they choose to violate said law and reject CCSS and PARCC testing?
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I am not sure what the exact consequences would be, but the school board members take an oath to follow the law. At the very least, they would all be removed from office which would not be good.
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Reblogged this on Parents of PVMS.
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“WHEREAS, we do not currently believe that the St. Tammany Parish Public School System has objectionable material in any of our existing and proposed curriculum; however, we do furthermore encourage all parents, teachers, and administrators to elevate concerns of material in the curriculum to the Principals, Superintendent, and School Board Members; ”
Why did they include this statement? Other than this nugget, the rest of the resolution seems reasonable. I hope this wasn’t to appease those that complained about content in the CCSS. Censorship has no place in education, even if the concerns come from parents and the content is in the CCSS or any other standards.
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The St Tammany School Board is facing notable pressure from parents regarding the curriculum they have had to throw together at the last minute as a result of Common Core implementation being sped up a year. Thus, I think the board felt obliged to include the statement as part of their resolution.
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Why do they feel they have to address “objectionable material’? Why would parents object to content?
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For one, there were a number of cases in which materials had not been properly screened and materials included sexually explicit material.
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OK, that’s one (and without knowing the grade and text an argument cannot be made if it is appropriate or not).
Can someone on this blog who knows what parents spoke out about in terms of content be willing to share?
I don’t understand why on this blog that is supposedly pro-teacher that no one seems to have an issue with opening the door to censorship.
If you want to stop the CCSS go for it, but I hope this doesn’t open the door for people with another motive.
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The concerns, as I understood them, were about the age-appropriateness of some of the materials. I don’t like censorship, either, but I don’t think certain things need to be taught and addressed with 6th-8th graders that would be more appropriate for 10th-12th graders. I seem to recall some talk about things like (just for example – don’t recall the exact objectionable content) To Kill a Mockingbird, which is absolutely fine for the older kids, but many don’t want the seduction/sex/rape discussion for the younger set – in the classroom. At home, perhaps, but not in the classroom for 11 to 14 year olds. I know the LouianaBelieves website linked to sample materials that included “Lolita,” – so that one caused a stink.
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Do you think parents should be able to have control over political materials that differ from their beliefs?
Would you agree that 11th and 12th graders should be able to read any book deemed acceptable by the curriculum committee? I do, especially since by 11th grade I hope my child is responsible enough that I am not going to be aware of the details of my child’s work.
One man’s offensive sexual content is another man’s Ayn Rand
Let’s give these young adults a little more credit.
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Well, I know in Alabama, parents were not happy with ninth graders having to read The Bluest Eyes which is one of the books listed in CC’s exemplars. Also, this past week, a handful of Alabama parents protested about a worksheet that they say programed children to become too dependent on Government.
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Who approved the book and the worksheet?
I would have no problem with my 9th grader reading the Bluest Eye, but then again, my very Catholic mother didn’t bat an eye when I read her copy of the Cider House Rules (after she had finished reading it, so she was fully aware of the content) when I was in 10th grade.
Would you be willing to share the content of the worksheet – was it Obama-care related, oil-subsidizes related, etc?If a worksheet can program children to be too dependent on the government then Mom and Dad are probably very insecure about their ability to instill their values in their children or maybe they don’t want their children to be exposed to a differing point of view.
CCSS or other, there will always be content that someone finds objectionable.
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http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2013/09/19/fourth-graders-taught-about-pimps-and-mobstaz-in-louisiana/
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How can this worksheet program one to be too dependent on the government?
I have never been on public assistance, but I am very dependent on the government. My child attends a public school and I did up through 12th grade and I earned my MS from a state school. Since I am not a homesteader, my dependency on the government runs rather deep.
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I think I remember that St Tammany Parish was performing well & showing improvement over recent years, performed very well this year (not sure according to what measures) & therefore saw no reason to make the wholesale changes that adopting CC would require. Wish I had a cite, but that’s what I remember reading. This would thus appear to be a commensense conclusion of the local district. Hopefully they will prevail, & provide a role model for other high-performing districts around the nation… I don’t see this happening in NJ, & I don’t understand it, because we had very good state core curriculum guides & high stats all around, yet Christie was able to adopt CC in 2010 by fiat… while managing to lose out on 400mm RTTT funds due to an application error!
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Governor Cuomo apparently submitted a flawless application, no errors! NY won the maximum award of $700,000,000. By the time that money filtered down to the school district I live in, it amounted to a whopping $1.30 per student. Cost to implement – over 10 times the award.
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I hate to disappoint all of you, however, this resolution is just that…a resolution. It was a call for the state to drop Common Core. It, in no way drops Common Core from St. Tammany parish schools. The information in this blog is incorrect. The resolution is a way for a Punic entity to put a position, or declaration of something into public record. It is not a rule or law. This particular resolution was to ask the state and BESE to drop Common Core from its curriculum. A local school board does not have the authority to use it’s own curriculum without state board approval, which the state has not granted that to St. Tammany.
It is, however a strong message to BESE, coming from one of the top school districts. Other school districts need to pressure BESE to drop CC. Once they do, the whole state will be out of the program all at once. I’m sorry to disappoint all of you, but we must keep fighting!
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Someone asked what kind of content would cause concern for parents. I am including two passages from approved CC material, one of which is “The Bluest Eyes.” My children may come across material such as this, unfortunately. But, I don’t want it on a list of educational reading material adopted by my state. Some people may not have a problem with their child reading this material but many parents do have a problem with it. I personally make it a point to stay away from material contrary to my beliefs, and I see no harm in protecting my children for as long as possible. Hopefully, they will choose to stay away from it as they grow older, too. “The Bluest Eyes” contains material I would not expose myself to and I most certainly don’t want my children exposed to this material. Children in our country face molestation. Children are sold through human trafficking. We have to stand strongly against normalizing that which causes so much pain for so many. The following are meeting notes from a parent meeting on CCSS.
A parent of a high school student read passages from recommended reading selections listed on the Common Core State Standards for ELA and Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects website. For 11-12th graders, Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia is on the recommended list. Here is an excerpt from that book:
“Hugo and Felicia stripped in their room, dissolving easily into one another, and made love against the whitewashed walls. Hugo bit Felicia’s breast and left purplish bands of bruises on her upper thighs. He knelt before her in the tub and massaged black Spanish soap between her legs. He entered her repeatedly from behind.
Felicia learned what pleased him. She tied his arms above his head with their underclothing and slapping him sharply when he asked.
“You’re my bitch,” Hugo said, groaning.
In the morning he left, promising to return in the summer.”
Another book shared from the 11th grade reading list was The Bluest Eyes – a book written about the perils of focusing on outer beauty. However, it is written in perspective from a pedophile rapist. Here is what I found about this book ( I only shared one small excerpt, but there are many more from this book :
“The little girls are the only things I’ll miss. Do you know that when I touched their sturdy little t*** and bit them—just a little—I felt I was being friendly?—If I’d been hurting them, would they have come back? . . . they’d eat ice cream with their legs open while I played with them. It was like a party.”
Those six graphic excerpts cover incest, rape and pedophilia. In her research on the book in question, Macey France also exposes some pretty shocking support for those topics, from the author herself:
In fact, the author of the book, Morrison, says that she wanted the reader to feel as though they are a “co-conspirator” with the rapist. She took pains to make sure she never portrayed the actions as wrong in order to show how everyone has their own problems. She even goes as far as to describe the pedophilia, rape and incest “friendly,” “innocent,” and “tender.” It’s no wonder that this book is in the top 10 list of most contested books in the country.
There were other excerpts shared from the suggested list as well. Here is the link, if you’d like to see the list: http://www.corestandards.org/assets/Appendix_B.pdf A parent said that this was a violation of her freedom of religion. Pedophilia, rape, and incest are against her religion.
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I see no problem with that list. I am surprised the religious person didn’t point out that the Scarlet Letter is an amoral tale- a women bears the illegitimate child of the town pastor.
Crime and Punishment is about a brutal murder. I bet every single one of those choices on the 11th grade reading lists would offend someone.
The Bluest Eye is mostly told form the POV of the friend of the victim’s 9 yr old friend. I read that book and what I took away from it was great sadness – I had no sympathy for the rapist. I would not have an issue with my HS (almost adult) child reading that book.
I do feel that people who push their own morals and think they have the right to censor are a big threat to my freedom. Censorship is a slippery slope.
What book would you accept? What if your approved reading list offends others?
I have no issues with sex in books, but what if I don’t want my child reading about hunters,guns and the consumption of meat – some religions are extremely anti-violence and require meat-free diets – does their religion get the same freedoms as yours?
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Also no one is being honest if they don’t admit that some parents were offended and spoke out against content that did not include sex or crime. Should that content also be omitted if parents speaks out against it?
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No one is being dishonest. Do you know what parents spoke out about? It really is not what you keep trying to portray. You seem to keep trying to invalidate the entire resolution on one statement. (Yes, I know – you cannot support a resolution that may lead to censorship.) A statement that should tell you that they are not pandering to a few vocal parents about content, whether it was sex or certain beliefs. They are making sure parents are aware that they will listen to their concerns because of the multitude of reports in the media about material. I personally want my school board to be willing to listen to me with an open mind whenever I have a problem.
I must disagree with your stance on censorship. There must be SOME censorship in school. There cannot be a free-for-all on what material is allowed in school. At home – sure, whatever you feel is appropriate. I allow my 10 year old son to watch shows that include cursing at home, but I do not want his teachers cursing in class and I would have a problem if a curse word showed up in his homework in 5th grade.
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I do know some objected to the “political” content of some of the schoolwork. Do you agree that parents have the right to complain about this type of content? 10 year-old should be able to read and comprehend any major newspaper and magazines. Why can’t a teacher use current events to spark a discussion in class? It is wrong to think a teacher agrees with every bit of reading they assign,
Do you believe it is a parent’s right to know the source of all content?
People are being dishonest if they don’t admit that there is a group of people against the CCSS because they feel it has a leftist agenda. There may be other people who feel the CCSS is too conservation. This is what worries me. If people want to argue that the math and reading are too hard, that’s fine, but I believe the professionals should be the ones that pick and approve the content.
I still believe the teachers or the curriculum committee of high school students should be able to pick books without getting approval or complaints from parents. The books mentioned are not pornography, Many people are complaining about HS reading lists which I find confusing.
I agree that I have been harping on this too long, but it is a big concern for me. I don’t want to join a fight that has a hidden agenda.
I look forward to responses, but I promise not to post anymore, Thank you to everyone for participating in the discussion. I find these types of discussions helpful and you did give me some things to consider.
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I’m so impressed with St. Tammany Parish School Board. Way to take a stand. Courage!
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Diane, you’ve gotten the story on St. Tammany totally wrong and I’m not surprised seeing that you’ve gotten your information from Mercedes Schneider. It’s true that the STPSB passed an anti-CCSS resolution, but nowhere in the resolution does it say that St. Tammany is unilaterally “dropping out” of CCSS or PARCC assessments (see Times-Pic story here: http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/10/st_tammany_school_board_approv.html)
The resolution simply “calls on” BESE (the state board of education), LDOE officials and legislators to drop out of CCSS, which isn’t going to happen. BESE has already reaffirmed its commitment to sticking with CCSS since this resolution passed about a month ago, as has Supt. White and Governor Jindal. These are all verifiable facts.
It’s fine if you’re opposed to Common Core – you’re entitled to your opinion – but at least get the facts of the story straight.
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Strange way to define “totally”
“Dropping out” v. rejecting the CCSS on principle have a de facto equivalence.
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Direct quote from Diane: “Its board passed a far-reaching resolution declaring that it was dropping out of the Common Core standards and would not administer the PARCC assessments.”
That’s an incorrect statement – there’s no “de facto equivalence.” First of all, the St. Tammany board doesn’t have the authority to decide whether or not to adopt CCSS or the PARCC assessments. Second, it’s NOT what the resolution says – it calls on legislators, ed policy officials, etc. to do this (which they haven’t).
Had Diane said “”Its board passed a far-reaching resolution calling on officials to drop out of the Common Core standards and PARCC assessments” I wouldn’t take issue with it.
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Diane, you’ve gotten the story on St. Tammany totally wrong and I’m not surprised seeing that you’ve gotten your information from Mercedes Schneider.
I f you bothered to read the link to Mercedes blog, the resolution from the STPSB is re-printed in its entirety. Mercedes makes no claim that St Tammany resolved to drop out of the CCSS or that they would not be administering PARCC tests. Diane did apparently misread the resolution and I can’t thank you enough for correcting her post.
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I see nothing in Mercedes’ post that claims St. Tammany is dropping out of CCSS and PARCC.
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That’s true, although Mercedes often has trouble distinguishing facts, opinions, and errors: http://peterccook.com/2013/11/06/deconstructing-mercedes/
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Just curious. What exactly is your agenda?
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Dumbing down Louisiana at its best. Keep it up and We will reach our goal of being last in the country. Dur da dar St. Tammany
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Huge misunderstanding here. St. Tammany adopted a resolution calling on the state to withdraw from Common Core. The St. Tammany school board would be on dubious footing both legally and accountability-wise if they were to unilaterally withdraw. Local school boards (and the same goes for Parish governments–they cannot unilaterally withdraw from a state mandated law or policy) do not have clear authority to make such sweeping policy changes outside of the state’s prerogative.
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Bgrober1, you may be right that districts cannot withdraw from Common Core, but you may be wrong. Who can stop them? Common Core is not a federal program. The federal government is prohibited by law from influencing curriculum or instruction. There is no enforcement agency. States and districts are free to drop the tests, revise the standards or drop them.
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Exactly! Whatcha gonna due? Close em’ down?
Didn’t the British tell us that we had no authority to revolt.
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do
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States are free to drop or revise–districts are not. Districts receive all authority from state law and as such they cannot just ignore and change state law. The only reason that districts exist and have any power is because they have been explicitly granted that by the state government. States are unitary authorities and no power is devolved except by their own prerogative which they can amend at any time. Any wiggle room or autonomy given to the districts to revise the state-approved curriculum must, then, come from the state.
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All need to drop out…we do not need federal intervention in La.
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I think it is very sad that St. Tammany Parish is choosing to go against the Common Core. I don’t see anything wrong with increased rigor and accountability for students. How about we let the educators make decisions. Many teachers don’t want the Common Core because they want to continue teaching about frogs and bugs instead of making children think critically! That actually requires that a teacher have some type of subject matter knowledge. While the rest of the world is moving past us, we are still teaching frogs and bugs… So sad. Wake up people. I personally want my children to be able to compete in a global society. I choose to support the Common Core.
By the way… Common Core was developed by the Governor’s Council… Not the Feds. Get educated people!!!,!
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