common core policy brief

7/30/2019 Common Core Policy Brief

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was proud to say am a teacher, but overthe past 15 years ve experienced the depressing,

gradual downfall and misdirection of education that hasslowly eaten away at my love of teaching. Everything lovedabout teaching is extinct.Ellie Rubenstein

Restoring Excellence to EducationA Historical Review and a Path Forward

by Amy Edmonds

www.WyLiberty.org August, 2013

Foreword by Susan Gore, M.A.

n this pper Amy Edmonds tells how policies such s those found in the Common Core tndrds Common Corehve been promoted historiclly nd here in yoming. he reminds us tht centrlized micromngement fails toincrese scores on chievement tests. Further, she clls to mind the simple truth tht letting good techers do theirjobs increses cdemic growth.

e know kids re lerning nd growing when students, techers nd prents used words like love lerning,respected, exciting, unforgettble connections nd rewrding. echer Ellie ubenstein used these wordswhen she spoke bout the yers before micromngement, when she ws llowed to be cretive in her work

4` YZ[ ML `LHYZ VM [LHJOPUN ^LYL PUJYLKPIS L_OH\Z[PUN I\[ HSZV L_[YLTLS L_JP[PUN HUKrewarding. en-hour workdays felt worth it. was making a difference in childrens andtheir families lives. was actively helping students love learning and forming unforgettableconnections with students who would come back to visit me year after year to recall their timein my classroom and just chat. Also, at that time teachers were respected and highly regarded

as hardworking professionals who dedicated their lives yes lives to children. was proud tosay, am a teacher. i Ellie Rubenstein

nfortuntely, love of lerning cn be regulted wy. hese dys proponents of Common Corelike to use the word rigor, s in, from vrious dictionries [Miriam Webster, The Free Dictionary,Dictionary.com]:

/HYZOPUL_PIPSP[`PUVWPUPVU[LTWLYVYQ\KNTLU["

:[YPJ[ULZZVYZL]LYP[`HZPU[LTWLYHTLU[HJ[PVUVYQ\KNTLU["

trictness, severity, or hrshness, s in deling with people.

As Edmonds illustrtes, rigor is exctly wht centrlized micromngement is bout. t is notgood for students, nd it drives cpble techers like Ellie ubenstein out of their profession.

his need not continue.

Introduction


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Ellie ubenstein, techer in ighlnd rk, ll.,gined overnight notoriety when she posted video

she entitled, n ursuit of ppiness. n it ubenstein[LUKLYZOLYYLZPNUH[PVU[VZJOVVSVMJPHSZHM[LYKPZJ\ZZPUNthe decline in eduction she hs seen over the pst 5yers.

he detils of ubensteins criticisms re telling.he describes the depressing, grdul downfll ndmisdirection of eduction tht hs slowly eten wyt my love of teching. he emphsis in eduction hsshifted from fostering cdemic nd personl growthin both students nd techers to demnding uniformitynd conformity.

Describing the rise in bureucrtic commnds,ubenstein continues ising students test scores onstndrdized tests is now the only gol, nd in order toHJOPL]LP[[OLJYLH[P]P[`L_PIPSP[`HUKZWVU[HULP[`hve been eliminted.

ubenstein ddresses the centrl themes tht hvepropelled public eduction over the pst hlf centuryJVU[YVSHUKSVZZ;OLNO[MVYcontrolover the publiceduction system hs become driving politicl gendfor every locl, stte nd federl dministrtion. But

these politicl gends hve led to rel nd sustinedSVZZLZMVY[OVZLJSVZLZ[[VLK\JH[PVU"[OLSVZZVMTVYLnd more prentl rights nd responsibilities, the long[LYT SVZZ VM JYLH[P]P[ L_PIPSP[` HUK ZWVU[HULP[`for techers like ubenstein nd the ctul loss of meningful, whole nd relevnt eduction for the child.

The Battle for Control: A HistoricalCatalogue of Political Agendas

ublic eduction in Americ hs long nd windinghistory. he pst hlf century hs seen some of the most

substntil shifts in control, shifts wy from the locluthority of prents nd techers nd to the distntcentrlized, bureucrtic control of stte nd federlgovernment. hese shifts hve lessthnimpressivetrck record of improving eduction nd hve excted steep sociologicl cost to Americn fmilies.

-LKLYHSTVUL`HUK^P[OP[[PNO[LYMLKLYHSJVU[YVSYZ[begn to tke serious foothold in loclly mnged

public eduction in the 950s. ince then, prents ndtechers hve endured continuous brrge of policy

inititives tht compromise the effectiveness of techingchildren nd the bsolute uthority of prents to risetheir children without interference from the stte.

1960s

n 964 resident yndon ohnson signed intolw the Elementry nd econdry Eduction Act(EEA) s prt of his r on overty. EEA mrkedthe beginning of federl intrusion into multiple resof eduction such s identifying nd funding triskchildren nd lowincome schools while incresing per

pupil expenditures. ohnson described the lw s hemost sweeping eductionl bill ever to come beforeCongress. t represents mjor new commitment ofthe Federl Government to qulity nd equlity in theschooling tht we offer our young people. ii

nder the cry of bringing equlity to n eductionlZ`Z[LTWSHN\LKI`[OLNO[V]LYZLNYLNH[PVU1VOUZVUZr on overty begn the EEA progrm knowns Title 1: Improving the Academic Achievement ofthe Disadvantaged, which is still in existence tody.:^HZ [OL YZ[ THQVYJHSS MVY MLKLYHS PU]VS]LTLU[

in public schools. he Act, ccording to the ohnsondministrtion, would provide more equitble economicnd socil opportunities for ll students. iii But in theHSTVZ[ ]L KLJHKLZ ZPUJL P[YZ[ ILJHTLH YLHSP[ PUTLYPJHU ZJOVVSZ;P[SL M\UKZ OH]LOHYKS` M\SSSLKthe promises mde by the rchitects of ohnsons Gretociety.

ke for instnce the chievement gps in vergemth scores between blck nd white public schoolstudents t ge 9, which nrrowed by only eight pointsbetween 978 nd 2004. iv he gp in verge reding

scores for the exct sme demogrphic decresedby only six points. v o much for the big governmentpromises mde by resident ohnson upon signingthis federl behemoth By pssing this bill, we bridgethe gp between helplessness nd hope for more thn5 million eductionlly deprived children. (ble) vi he promises of the Gret ociety hve provenHMHPS\YL"HJOPL]LTLU[ZJVYLZOH]LH[SPULKMVYV]LYthree decdes!


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1970s

n 979, resi ent mes Er immy Crter, r.,L_WHUKLK[OLOH[ Z[HY[LK ^P[O YLZP U[ VOUZV KYLH VM HYLH[ :VJPL[ HUK L]VS] M\Y Y L YLZ L [*HY[LY^HZUV^Z[YLUN[OLU KI :L Y [HY LSS\UK Y

VUHSKLHNHUZ^H[JO

1990s

UYLZPKLU[PSS*SPU [VUZP V SH Z K\JH[L TLYPJH J[ H Z[ L H[PV WVSPJ`[OH[V\[SPULKLPNO[UH[PV SZ[ H[^V\S ILHJOPL]LK[OYV\NO]VS\U[HY` V] UTLU[PU[LY]LU[PV HUKNV]LYUTLU[TVULÌ`[ L`LHYV[L[OH[PU[OLTVZ[JYLH[P]LUH[PVUPU[ L^VYSKHUH[PVU[OH[OHK [OYP]LK PU WHY[ K\L [V P[Z HYPL[ VM LK\JH[PVUHSNVHSZNV]LYUTLU[ZL[P[ZLSM\W[ KLJSHYLTVUVNVHSZ

HUKZ[HUKHYKZMVY[OLÔVSLJV\ [Y`:[HUKHYKZHUKHJJV\U[HIPSP[`^LYLI`^VYKZLT SV`LK[VZWYLHK[OLWYLZ\TW[PVU [OH[ NV]LYUTLU[ HJ[VY HYL ZTHY[LY HUKRUVÎL[[LY[OHUÔV&[OHU`V\HUKTLHUK[OLYLZ[VM\ZHWWHYLU[S`

LKLYHS SLNPZSH[PVUV]LY [OL WHZ[ [OYLLKLJHKLZ OHZ^VYRLK LMMLJ[P]LS [V UVYTHSPaL [OL JYLL PUN MLKLY SYLHJOPU[VLK\JH[PVUVHSZ[VVR`L[HU [OLYZ WMVY^HYKI`JYLH[PUN[OLH[PVUHSK\JH[PVU: U HYKZ


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nd mprovement Council, which ws estblished tocertify nd periodiclly review voluntry ntionl

content stndrds nd voluntry ntionl studentWLYMVYTHUJL Z[HUKHYKZ [OH[ KLUL ^OH[ HSS Z[\KLU[Zshould know nd be ble to do. viii

ooking bck on the lofty gols of Gols 2000, dismlperformnce nd outright totl filure in chieving mostof these gols is ll tht remins. Gol 2000s secondgol ws to increse the ntionl grdution rte to tlest 90 percent by 2000. Grdution rtes ntionllywent from 73.7 percent in 990 to 72.6 percent in 2000, decrese of . percent. ix nce gin governmentspromises filed.

Early 2000s

n nury 8, 2002, resident George. Bush signed into lw o Child eftBehind (CB), reuthoriztion of EEA.Along with reuthorizing EEA, CBincluded host of new eduction reformstht focused on mesuring ccountbilityusing Adequte erly rogress (A).CB ws even more prescriptive thnGols 2000 in tht it required sttes to

estblish set of sttewide cdemicstndrds nd benchmrks to estblishHIV]L H[ VY ILSV^ WYVJPLUJ ;OLUsttes were to put in plce sttewidestndrdized test to mesure theWYVJPLUJ`SL]LSVMHSSZ[\KLU[ZIHZLKVUthose stndrds.

CB coined the newest eductionl buzzword ccountbilitynd brought with it slew of federlconsequences for locl underperformnce. Filureto meet mesurble benchmrks triggered series of

required schoollevel ctions, mny of which requiredmore nd more dministrtive nd teching time spentVUSSPUNV\[MVYTZHUK^YP[PUNV\[WSHUZYH[OLY[OHUteching students.

After decde in plce, CB lso hs left legcy of government filure. est scores hve notZLLUZPNUPJHU[ PTWYV]LTLU[Z^OPSL NYHK\H[PVUYH[LZcontinue to remin stedily round 78 percent. ne

O\UKYLKWLYJLU[WYVJPLUJ PUTH[OHUKYLHKPUNVULof the impossibletochieve pipedrems of CB

unsurprisingly hs not been chieved. x

2009-Present

n uly 24, 2009, resident Brck bm ndEduction ecretry Arne Duncn nnounced thecretion of ce to the op, $4 billion competitiveeduction grnt for sttes feturing veritble Gordinknot of ttched federl strings.

his brings us to the most recent federl push, theCommon Core tte tndrds nititive. hile other

federl incursions into individul stteeduction progrms since the 960shve been firly strightforwrd intheir mission, CC is different in thtproponents of those stndrds cmeup with rther clever wy of mskingfederl involvement. ost importnt,no federl legisltion ws used.

ther, using the trde ssocitionstionl Governors Assocition(GA) nd the Council of Chief tte

:JOVVS MJLYZ **:: HZ MYVU[Z MVYthe progressive inititive, ntionlpublic nd privte sttists ttemptedto hide behind the ruse tht CommonCore ws stteled inititive withno federl or ntionl connection.

et closer inspection shows lrge mounts of federlNYHU[KVSSHYZV^PUN PU[V [OLHUK**:: MYVTthe very beginning, nd federl ce to the op dollrswere lso prt of the federl hook.

Finncil sttements revel tht between 200 nd202 both trde ssocitions received more thn $28.4million in federl grnt monies for their pet eductioninititives, chief mong them Common Core. xi xii nddition, these orgniztions lso received substntildontions from corporte fellows such s icrosoft,Apple nd Generl Electric, nc., s well s dontionsMYVT Z\JO MVYWYV[ LK\JH[PVU NPHU[Z HZ LHYZVUK\JH[PVU UJ HUK UVUWYV[ LK\JH[PVU NPHU[Z *;nd Eductionl esting ervice (E).

Financialstatements reveal

that between 2010and 2012 both

trade associationsreceived more than

$28.4 million infederal grant monies

for their peteducation initiatives,

chief among themCommon Core.


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he push to sell Common Core to the sttes did notstop with federl dollrs, however. ne of the leding

ntionl privte orgniztions, the Bill nd elindGtes Foundtion, hs lso given the GA nd CCTVYL [OHU TPSSPVU V]LY [OL WHZ[ ]L `LHYZ [Vsupport the Common Core tte tndrds work ndwork with stte policymkers on the implementtionof the Common Core tte tndrds. xiii

n recent rticle for he Foundtion for EconomicEduction, enore Ely points out tht the CommonCore is

A relentless nd coordinted push by philnthropic

nd bureucrtic experts to shift uthority ndresponsibility from locl citizens nd independentschool districts to the frremoved high cover ofcentrl uthorities. he bm dministrtionquickly tied ce to the op dollrs to CommonCore doption by the sttes, not only tinting theppernce of the Common Cores voluntry rootsbut compromising their relity, too. xiv

n 2009 press relese, Arne Duncnpromised sttes chnce t $4 billion infederl money if they simply implementedfour ermrked reforms one of them

included rising stndrds. xv At thetime the grnt ws written, the CommonCore tte tndrds nititive ws theVUS`ZL[VMUH[PVUHSZ[HUKHYKZ[OH[M\SSSLKthe grnt requirements, nd ws weightedfor 50 points of the overll 500 points stte could receive. n n pplictionwhere every point counted, plcing thedoption of the Common Core stndrdson the sme points level s rising scoresin lowperforming schools clerly showed

the federl governments priority to pushthe Common Core tte tndrds ontosttes using federl dollrs.

Wyomings Path to the Common Core

hen the ltest federl ce to the op progrmws reveled, sttes like yoming rushed to join thentionl stndrds movement with the hope of obtiningbiggovernment money nd ttining biggovernment

WYVTPZLZ" WYVTPZLZ VM UL Z[HUKHYKZ [OH[ ^LYL PUthe words of the Bill nd elind Gtes Foundtion

Fewer, Clerer, igher. xvi utside of government,proponents like the Gtes Foundtion hd been mkingspurious promises such s fewer overll stndrds,which were both clearernd t higherlevel thn llother stte stndrds.

ith the stroke of pen in the spring of 2009,yoming Governor Dve Freudenthl nd tteuperintendent of ublic nstruction im cBridesigned emorndum of Agreement (A) with thebckers of the Common Core tte tndrds nititive,entngling yoming in the ntionl Common Core tte

tndrds. xvii n joining, yoming promised to submitto the ledership of the Common Core inititive, submitto the development process of the stndrds s well sthe ntionl vlidtion process. ltimtely, yomingws on the hook to comply with the rigid stndrdsdoption process with no pth for yoming to directlyimpct the content of the stndrds themselves.

he A, like the philnthropicpowerhouse bcking the CommonCore, promised yet nother round ofdecdesold big drems including

ntionl stndrds tht re lignedwith college nd work expecttions,so tht ll students re prepred forsuccess upon grduting from highschool nd inclusive of rigorouscontent nd ppliction of knowledgethrough highorder skills, so tht llstudents re prepred for the 2stcentury. xviii

ote tht the clim is to produceyoung people who will hve economicutility. his is fr from the Americn

Drem tht ech person should become the mosttht he or she cn be, ccording to personl pursuitof hppiness. uch dull mterilistic thinking ischrcteristic of socilistic vlues.

he mbiguity of these promises seemed to fll onKLHM LHYZ HTVUN >`VTPUNZ W\ISPJ N\YLZ UKLLKthe exct words in the A were repeted time nd

A relentless andcoordinated push byphilanthropic and

bureaucratic expertsto shift authority andresponsibility fromlocal citizens and

independent schooldistricts to the

far-removed highcover of central

authorities.


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gin by yoming bureucrts in memos to describethe Common Core, leving the reder to wonder if

the proponents hd even red beyond the A to thestndrds themselves.

he memorndum signed by the governor ndstte superintendent lso stted very clerly thtdevelopment of 2 English nguge Arts (EA) ndth stndrds would hppen t the ntionl levelsperheded by the GA nd CC, which wouldoversee the developmentprocess group tht includedAchieve, AC nd the College Bord.

ttes were encourged to provide input with no

rel understnding of how tht inputwould be used to shpe or possiblychnge the stndrds. nsted, thememorndum lid out n irtightdevelopment nd vlidtion processtht left no room for sttes to collborteon the writing of new stndrds.

And governors nd stte eductionchiefs from ll over the country signedon, creting the illusion tht sttes wereleding the cretion of the stndrds.

n notes dted April 29, 2009,nd obtined from the yomingDeprtment of Eduction (DE),informtion from teleconference cllbetween interested sttes (includingyoming) nd CCGA orgnizersnoted tht the A would not bemde public until received by ll the governors ndstte eduction chiefs. xix ttes were then given onlythree weeks to respond, grnting no time for sttepolicymkers to seek input from prents nd techers.

he notes describe informtion from the cll regrdingthe link between stndrds nd curriculum CCrecognizes tht stndrds re only one piece thedevelopment of compnion curricul nd instructionlmterils should be ddressed t lter dte.

he notes contin concerns expressed by cllersregrding the rigid doption process for the stndrdshe A includes commitment tht member sttes

^PSSHKVW[[OLJVTTVUJVYLVMZ[HUKHYKZ*SHYPJH[PVUis needed on wht dopt mens in different sttes.xxi

ssues rose even before the A ws signed,however, s yoming sttutes puts the setting ndrevising of yomings tte tndrds solely underthe yoming tte Bord of Eduction (BE). heBE possesses no uthority to delegte tht sttutoryduty to the Governor or the tte uperintendent. etthe A ws signed by the Governor nd the tteuperintendent with no consulttion of the BE.

his lst fct ws potentil sticking point foruperintendent cBride nd the yoming Deprtment

of Eduction (DE) in the spring of JJVYKPUN [V H IYPLUN TLTVprovided by the DE, uthored by DEstff members Aln oore nd Christineteele, concerns were rised to theGovernor over the lck of involvementby the BE in the pprent threeweekrush to sign the memorndum with theCC he yoming tte Bordof Eduction hs not been prt ofthe discussion regrding this project.hey re chrged with reviewing nd

dopting the stte tndrds. igning theA before they re involved my beproblemtic.xxii

roblems rising from theuperintendent nd Governorspprovl of the A nd the BEs

lck of involvement were never relized, however,nd yomings complince with the memorndumstight dedline nd ridged doption process continuedthrough the summer of 2009.

n the BEs August 5, 2009, meeting, DE stffupdted the BE on the stndrds revision process tkingplce nd tied this process in with the Common Core:[H[L:[HUKHYKZMVYZLLTPUNS`[OLYZ[ [PTLW\ISPJHSS he Deprtment estblished timeline for doption ofthese stndrds, beginning with Fine nd erformingArts, Foreign nguge nd elth. English ngugeArts nd th, the two content stndrds covered bythe Common Core stndrds, would not strt being

The WY State Boardof Education hasnot been part ofthe discussionregarding this

project. They arecharged withreviewing and

adopting the stateStandards. Signingthe MOA before theyare involved may be

problematic.


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reviewed until April 200 with completion dte setfor nury of 202.xxiii

n the nury 4, 200, teleconference meeting of theBE, uperintendent cBride briefed the bord on thesttes ce to the op ppliction. cBride noted thewrd grnt would be $62 million, with $8 millionpportioned for school districts. e lso stted tht theDE hd pplied for n $ million dt grnt theprevious December, nd he sserted the stte hd nexcellent chnce of receiving both grnts. xxiv yomingws in rce to receive lrge sums of federl dollrs,which seemed to prompt the stte into ccelerting itsown Common Core doption timeline.

At the April 6, 200, BE bord meeting, ccordingto the meeting minutes, cBride stressed tht yoming^V\SK ULLK [V N\YL V\[ OV^ ^L JHU ^VYR ^P[OJVTTVUJVYLZ[HUKHYKZI`"V[OLY^PZLP[JV\SKffect the federl dollrs we receive. xxv

n une 6, 200, the BE voted to pprove thedoption of the Common Core stte stndrds in whtcn only be interpreted s premture vote to doptstndrds tht were not fully vetted cross the stte.

ith tht vote, the die ws cst for the stte to complywith the A nd estblish frce of reviewingthe stndrds over the next yer. he vote ensured>`VTPUN^V\SKTV]LMVY^HYK^P[OUHSHKVW[PVUPU20, despite the Bord receiving (t the very smemeeting) reviews from yoming content stndrdreview tems s well s reviews by yoming techerswho prticipted in n online survey of the stndrds both stressing res of deep concern nd lot ofunnswered questions such s

till too mny unknowns,

would not ccept the Common Core tndrdss now written. nowing there re chnges coming, ^V\SK ^HU[ [V ZLL [OLT YZ[ ILMVYL JV\SKrecommend the stndrds.

think there re too mny questions bout them. think the developmentl questions tht need to benswered to ccept them s is.

Concept Development is not stressed enough.

hte it tht nguge Arts hs been reduced to setof skills. iterture does so much more in connecting

us with the world nd ech other. ome of the skills(theme) re not developmentlly ttinble even in9th grde without guidnce. D AE EA E CE.

he reserch is not new from rends innterntionl themtics nd cience tudyMVY `LHYZ >L ULLK [V YLUL HUK Z[YLHTSPUL [OLcurriculum nd stop letting textbook compniesdictte eductionl prctices.

From wht source did these stndrds come? htre the EEA stndrds tht ll regulrly plced

students must meet in order to mke cdemicprogress? ow do these proposed stndrds pplylerning opportunities tht meet the needs of thestudents AD provide the essentil knowledge thestudents must chieve? know tht ws nevercontcted to engge in this composition process.ho ws?

ou hve to be kidding me. hese stndrds re sopoorly written tht dopting them would be joke.othing in them supports reserch bsed lerningfor grde levels. hey re vgue, untestble, ndshow no understnding of brin bsed reserch.

yoming would be better off to dopt the Cmth stndrds nd hve something tht ctullyhs some thought behind them. (ot to mention thterson ublishing is sponsor they looking totke more yoming money on poorly developedtests?) xxvi

Despite the bord nd the DE continuing for thenext yer with n open comment period nd meetingsround the stte to get public input, the timeline fordoption of the Common Core stndrds in yomingclerly show tht the stndrds were dopted for

complince resons nd not in the interest of promotingqulity eduction. n the process of dopting thestndrds, yoming did not compre the stndrds toother sttes highqulity stndrds. he ide of lookingelsewhere for stndrds fewer, clerer nd higher thnthose being pushed in the Common Core ws nevereven entertined. yoming, like ll of the other sttes,hs hd hlfcentury of lerning how to swllow everyfederl hook, no questions sked.


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U [OL ZLJVUK UHS HUK PKLU[PJHS ]V[L I : H[their eptember 23, 20, meeting, the stndrds were

pproved with bsolutely no chnges mde to the EAnd themtics content res, which were copiednd psted verbtim from the originl copyrighted*VTTVU *VYL :[H[L :[HUKHYKZ PU[V >`VTPUNZ UHSpproved stndrds. xxvii Despite wht hs been billedby proponents of the Common Core s lengthy ndopen threeyer process where prents nd techerswere fforded the opportunity to comment, not onesingle chnge ws mde to the Common Core tndrdsin EA nd th. ot one.

yomings pth to the Common Core is yet nother

loss for yomings fmilies. rents, students ndtechers who prticipte in the eductionl system on dily bsis were simply not llowed to prticipte inthe process in ny meningful wy. he die hd lredybeen cst.

The Race to the Bottom: Losses in theClassroom.

hrough the pst hlf century of politicl posturingfor control over eduction, it is fmilies nd techerswho hve come out the cler losers. est scores remin

H[LK\JH[PVUZWLUKPUNJVU[PU\LZ[VZR`YVJRL[HUK[OLonce bedrock principle of locl control is ll but extinctnd now merely given lip service by stte nd federlpoliticins. Bureucrts fr removed from Americnfmilies nd their childrens clssrooms re doublingdown on control. mplementtion of the Common Coreis just nother in long line of governments empty,filed promises.

Ellie ubenstein is one of the countless techers ndWHYLU[Z ÔV OH]L ^P[ULZZLK [OLZL SVZZLZ YZ[OHUKubenstein entered her creer in eduction t the endof the Gols 2000 er nd the beginning of o Childeft Behind, ce to the op nd the Common Corette tndrds nititive. he described the strtlingchnges she hs seen in the clssroom over those yers.

Curriculum is mndted, minutes spent techingsubjects re udited, nd schedules re dictted bydministrtors. he clssroom techer is no longertrusted or in control of wht, when or how she

[LHJOLZVYLHUKTVYL^LHYLILPUNMVYJLK[Vdminister pper nd pencil tsks, multiplechoice

tests tht cn be grded by computer nd skill ndKYPSSHZZPNUTLU[Z[OH[KVU[YLX\PYLVYYLLJ[OPNOLYlevel thinking. Authentic literture hs been replcedwith dry, uninteresting text nd techers re beingforced to do wy with constructive projects in order[V[PUHSS[OVZLTHUKH[LKPUZ[Y\J[PVUHSTPU\[LZHUKssessments.

Christy ooley, sixthgrde techer from Greeniver, yo., hs lso witnessed the loss of cretivity ndfreedom in the clssroom. ooley went into techingbecuse of love for school nd literture, nd hsbeen teching for six yers.

ooley begn her teching creer in th fter CBOHKILLUW\[PU[VWSHJL[YZ[ZOLKPKU[YLHSSÙV[PJLny effects in her clssroom. owever ooley dmitstht she, like mny other techers, did not lwysunderstnd the federl nd stte progrms tht werebeing encted in her clssroom. For her, it ws boutfocusing on her kids nd getting through the busy dys.But when she moved to yoming, she noticed hugedifference.

^HZVVYLKIÒV^T\JO[LZ[PUN^HZOHWWLUPUNPU

our school nd it wsnt me doing the testing, it wsoutside sources. esures of Acdemic rogress(A) re given three times yer, Dynmicndictors of Bsic Erly itercy kills (DBE) lso[OYLL [PTLZ H `LHY HUKYVJPLUJ`ZZLZZTLU[ MVYyoming tudents (A) t the end of the yer,HSVUN^P[OV[OLY[LZ[Z^HZVVYLKH[OV^T\JOtime ws tken wy from my teching.

his pst yer things begn to chnge for ooley ftershe nd other techers were told bout the CommonCore nd its development in the Green iver school in

which they tught. ooley begn to see tht this newcurriculum ws much more thn just fewer, clearer,higherstndrds. he quickly relized tht somethingbig ws hppening nd tht techers were losing theirlocl control nd their locl voice.

ne of the people relly respect sid, lets just doit, thts wht we hve to do, do wht they well us.hts where cme up with look t us, were likesheep. Do we relly gree with this policy? nsted


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^LHYLNP]LU]PKLVZWYVWHNHUKH[VYL\Z\WHIV\[OV^NYLH[[OPZPZKTPUPZ[YH[VYZZOV^LK\Z[OYLL

videos, but we were never llowed to sit down ndhsh out if we think this is relly good for our kids.

For ooley, she couldnt just do it nd instedZ[HY[LKKVPUNOLYVÛOVTL^VYR>OLU[OLYVJPLUJÀssessment for yoming tudents (A) test wsbeing put into plce cross the stte severl yers go,ccording to ooley, techers in her building st downnd hshed out wht ws wrong with A. ooleyZHPK[OLWYVJLZZ^HZKPMJ\S[I\[[LHJOLYZ^LYLHISLto sit down nd mke those chnges nd do wht theyknew ws best for their students. t ws collbortive

process in which every techer prticipted.But s ooley lerned more bout the Common Core

nd the subsequent ssessments tht were coming fterthe implementtion of the Core, she begn to see bigproblem with the complete lck of techer input. heCommon Core ws clerly n edict not to be questionedor chnged.

ow is this going to increse the collborting forour kids if there is no mendment process? henwe re told they (techers lesson plns) ll hve tobe common core nd yet supposedly we hve 5%

we cn dd, yeh right, but tht 5% is not going[VIL [LZ[LK ZV[OH[Z [OL YZ[ [OPUN[OH[ZNVPUN[Vgo. And those re the things tht re der to mosttechers, the things tht bring out the citizenship ofour students, yomings history, nd the geology ofV\YZ[H[L[OH[Z[\MMZNVPUN[VNVH^H`

ooley sent n emil to collegues she knew nd hdworked with, stting her concerns. A fellow coworkershe dmired sent bck reply tht stunned her. t sid,Common core is going to be the lw nd the lw iswht we hve to follow. ther collegues, however,

thnked ooley for the informtion, nd rised mnyof the sme concerns. ooley st down with herdministrtor to tlk bout the emil.

left the meeting feeling tht we would just hveto gree to disgree. y dministrtor didnt tell me couldnt shre my views. A few of my colleguessid should shre my informtion with others,so shred it in stff meeting. hts when mydministrtor got up nd sid we were done. e

could not tlk bout the Common Core gin.

For ooley, it ws the beginning of the end. ht ws prt of wht led me to not going bck. loved teching.But lso wnt to get my kids out of the public schoolsright now. ooley will not be returning to her building[OPZMHSS"ZOLOHZJOVZLU[VSLH]L[LHJOPUNMVY[OL[PTLbeing nd is working fulltime to remove yoming fromthe Common Core.

A techer from outhest yoming with yers ofexperience hs lso seen the loss of teching freedomYZ[OHUK:OLHNYLLK [VIL PU[LY]PL^LKMVY [OPZ^VYRunder the conditions of nonymity, s she does not feel

free to spek openly bout her concerns. he begn hercreer teching middleschool nd highschool English,nd went into teching becuse she wnted to hve positive eductionl impct on students.

[OPUR[OLJOHUNLZOH]LILLUTVZ[KPMJ\S[PU[OLUNSPZOJSHZZYVVTILJH\ZLÔLUYZ[Z[HY[LKJV\SKchoose ny novel, ny text. hd fr more of choicend ws only limited to wht my collegues weredoing. As working group, wht we ll decided, evenwithin tht hd free rnge.

he bility for this techer to hve rel impct (theoriginl reson she got into teching) on her studentshs continued to diminish. ew innovtions in theclssroom hve led to loss in the personl oneononereltionship between her s techer nd her students.

Guided reding is where we ll discuss book, ftergreeing on wht they wnt to red. Comprehensioncomes becuse they like the book nd like discussingit. o when do guided reding their test scoresskyrocket. But now we hve this computer system.e went wy from the reltionship prt in guidedreding to going to computer nd every techer

know htes them. echers get into teching becusethey like the reltionships.

ust s discussed by Ellie ubenstein, techer fromllinois, this yoming techer lso notes the detrimentleffects on techerstudent reltionships she hs seen inteching in her yers in the clssroom nd ddsshe would mke n importnt chnge to improveeduction


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just wnt to be ble to hve my cretivity bck. f were to pick one thing tht would be it, llow me to

tech like know how it should be done.

er thoughts on the implementtion of the CommonCore lso sound very similr to those of Christy ooley,the techer from Green iver. he noticed in lte 2009tht stff development meetings were suddenly beingcentered on the Common Core.

UJL`V\]LILLUPU[OLLSK`V\JVTL[VYLHSPaLtht every few yers there comes the thing thtis going to chnce everything its like the curefor cncer. And we ll know it isnt going to worknd this (Common Core) isnt going to work either.

U`VUL^OVOHZILLUPU[OLLSKMVYSVUNLY[OHU5 yers is skepticl, becuse youve seen the hugedump of resources nd trining nd then you see llthe stuff down the hll in box covered in dust thtonce ws the gretest thing.

udy elmick, 6yer veternof teching who ended her creer inDubois, yo., cn lso testify to thechnges in public eduction. From973 to 98, udy took hitus fromteching. hen she returned to the

clssroom in the fll of 98, she wsmzed t wht she found

ht noticed ws the progrms wsin frm community nd there wsll this specil eduction stuff nd specil redingprogrms, there ws so mny progrms. And kidswere being pulled out of the clssroom. Everythingbecme bout lbels. Everyone ws getting lbeled,nd the more lbeling tht hppened, the morefederl money the districts would get.

elmick lso hs very strong feelings bout the

Common Core tndrds, nd wht they will men forchildren in the clssroom.

-PYZ[ YZ[ OLHYKHIV\[ [OL *VTTVU *VYL [OLYLws ll this tlk bout how it would mke everyonecollege nd creer redy nd tht is ws rigorous. KVU[SPRL[OL^VYKYPNVYV\Z"P[ZHWYL[[`\NS`^VYKif you look it up. Everyone would be common,[OL ZHTL;OH[ Q\Z[ ZLU[\WYLHSYLKHNZILJH\ZLevery child is different nd lerns t different rte.

dont like the ide of ssuming the sme formt forevery child. ou hve to mke chnges bsed on the

child.

hrough the pst hlf century of politicl posturingfor control over eduction, it is yoming fmilies ndtechers like udy elmick, Christy ooley nd otherstht hve come out the cler losers. est scores reminH[ LK\JH[PVU ZWLUKPUN JVU[PU\LZ [V ZR YVJRL[ HUKthe once bedrock principle of locl control is ll butextinct or merely given lip service by stte nd federlpoliticins (or openly denounced by progressives.)ore nd more control is being gined by bureucrtsfr removed from yoming fmilies nd their childrens

clssrooms. mplementtion of the Common Core isjust nother in long line of governments empty, filedpromises. And through it ll, prents nd techers reheld cptive in system they cn neither get out of norwork to chnge.

Wyomings Pathway Out

Common Core is nother expensive,outoftouch nd bstrct eductionlnotion foisted on prents, techers ndstudents. But like mules stuck in the

mud, those doing the foisting refuse toopen their minds to the very fcts ndproblems tht occur when these bstrctnotions hit the relity of kids nd techersin the clssroom.

utrged yoming prents wnt relese from bureucrtic grip tht squeezes the joy nd chievementout of their childrens eduction. he ide tht singleelite group cn get wy with presuming to decide theeductionl fte of every one of the unique fmiliescross yoming enrges them. ur fmilies, our

culture nd our fith re lredy with us, here in ourcommunities in yoming, nd they re under ttck.

egultion interferes with the simplest of inititives.For exmple, if one homeschool fmily should gettogether with nother homeschool fmily nd hire techer, they would incur so mny rules tht they rein effect prevented from this commonsense mens ofdvncing the eduction of their children in the wy

Common Core isanother expensive,out-of-touch and

abstract educational

notion foisted onparents, teachersand students.


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they deem best. An eductionl monopoly mngedby those who know better nd enforced by police

should hve no plce in yoming.

n our free society, competition must not be deemedillegl, nor must government ctors be the sole voicePU KLUPUN LK\JH[PVUHSX\HSP[ L[ W\ISPJ LK\JH[PVUHUKUVUYLN\SH[LKWYP]H[LLK\JH[PVUL_PZ[ZPKLI`ZPKL"SL[[OLTJVVWLYH[LHUKJYLH[L"SL[[OLTJVTWL[L"HUKbove ll, let responsible leders endorse the principletht prents together with techers best determine whtis right for their children.

he pth to eductionl freedom for yoming invites

fresh thinking. ere re few ction suggestions (this isnot n exhustive list) for restoring excellence to publicnd nonregulted privte eduction

. tteevel Deregulte privte schools ndhomeschooling, llowing for free nd innovtiveprivte school system.

2. tteevel epel the Common Core tndrds inEA nd themtics. emove yoming from themrter Blnce Consortium.

3. tteevel yomings ppliction for wiver

under the .. Deprtment of EductionsConditionl CB iver ln should bemended to delete the Deprtments four nonsttutory conditions nd include only the sttutoryrequirements of 20 ..C. 786. xxviii

4. tteevel estructure the tte Bord ofEduction, mking it n elected bord. his wouldllow prents nd techers more representtionsttewide, not less diffusing power over eductionrther thn consolidting it.

5. tteevel eclibrte the stte eductionfunding model to one tht does not focus money tthe district level, but rther serves s model thtcretes n individul childfocused backpack forevery eduction dollr spent. he money shouldbe focused on the child, not the district. xxix

6. Districtevel ncentivize districts to supportstudentweighted bckpck budgeting.

7. tteevel Decrese the mount of requiredtesting in the clssroom.

8. tte nd District evel Estblish seprte chrterschool uthorizer independent of the district.

M[LYOHSMHJLU[\Y`VMMHPSPUN[V_HZ`Z[LT[OH[PZUV[Z\IQLJ[[V_PUN]PHTPZ[HRLULKPJ[Z^L\UKLYZ[HUKbetter how to restore nd promote excellence. Firstrinciples recognize tht eductionl guidnce ofchildren is properly the responsibility of prents ndthe techers of their choice. e need to hve the fithnd humility to let the true experts, those closest to thechildren, implement love of lerning.

The Wyoming Liberty Groups next education policybrief will detail steps needed to move Wyoming offthe road to educational serfdom and onto the road toeducational freedom.

Endnotesi Ellie Rubenstein, n ursuit of appiness, ay 26, 2013,

http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9vxq1i

ii resident yndon ohnson, Remarks in ohnson City, exaspon igning the Elementary and econdary EducationBill, April 11, 1965, http//www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/

archives.hom/speeches.hom/650411.aspiii atrick cGuinn and Frederick ess, Freedom from

ignorance, he Great ociety and the evolution of theElementary and econdary Education Act of 1965, heGreat ociety and the igh ide of iberalism. Amherst, Aniversity of assachusetts. 2005

iv ational Center for Education tatistics, nstitute ofEducation ciences, Achievement Gaps, ow black andwhite students in public schools perform in athematics andreading on the ational Assessment of educational progress,2009, http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/gaps/

v ational Center for Education tatistics, nstitute ofEducation ciences, Achievement Gaps, ow black andwhite students in public schools perform in athematics andreading on the ational Assessment of educational progress,2009, http//nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/studies/gaps/

vi Reading and athematics core rends, ational Centerfor Educational tatistics, pdated April 2013, http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cnj.asp

vii Department of Education Reorganization Act tatements,resident immy Carter, ctober 17, 1979, http//www.


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1902 Thomes Ave., Ste. 201 Cheyenne, WY 82001

(307) 632-7020 ~ www.WyLiberty.org

presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=31543

viii he Goals 2000 Educate America Act (.. 103227),section 211, Federal egislation, http//www2.ed.gov/legislation/GA2000/heAct/sec211.html

ix ublic igh chool Graduation Rates, ational Center forEducation tatistics, pdated ay 2013, http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp

x ercentage distribution of 4th and 8thgrade studentsacross ational Assessment of Educational rogress (AE)reading achievement levels elected years, 19922011,ational Center for Educational tatistics, pdated arch2013, http//nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cnb.asp

xi ational Governors Association and ational Governors

Association Center for Best ractice,xii Consolidated Financial Report, une 30, 2012, une 30,

2011 and une 30, 2010, http//www.nga.org/cms/home/HIV\[UHUJPHSZ[H[LTLU[ZO[TS

xiii *V\UJPS VM *OPLM :[H[L :JOVVS MJLY -PUHUJPHStatements, 20102012, http//ccsso.org/ho_e_Are.html

xivhe Bill and elinda Gates Foundation, Awarded GrantsDatabase, http//www.gatesfoundation.org/oweork/Quickinks/GrantsDatabase

xiv enore Ealy, he Foundation for Economic Education,Common Core A ocquevillean Education or Cartel

Federalism? ay 14, 2013. http//www.fee.org/the_freeman/detail/commoncoreatocquevilleaneducationorcartelfederalism#axzz28CGpQ

xv .. Department of Education, Duncan ffers timulusFunds for tates to Develop Rigorous Assessments inked toCommon tandards, une 15, 2009, http//www2.ed.gov/news/pressreleases/2009/06/06152009a.html

xvi Bill and elinda Gates Foundation, Fewer, Clearer,igher oving Forward with Consistent, Rigorous tandardsfor All tudents, www.gatesfoundation.org

xvii ;OL *V\UJPS VM *OPLM :[H[L :JOVVS MJLYZ HUK;OLational Governors Association Center for Best ractices,

Common Core tandards emorandum of Agreement, signedby Dave Freudenthal and Dr. im cBride.

xviii ;OL*V\UJPS VM*OPLM:[H[L :JOVVS MJLYZ HUK;OLational Governors Association Center for Best ractices,Common Core tandards emorandum of Agreement, signedby Dave Freudenthal and Dr. im cBride.

xix+VJ\TLU[H[PVUVUSLwith the author.

xx+VJ\TLU[H[PVUVUSL^P[O[OLH\[OVY

xxi+VJ\TLU[H[PVUVUSL^P[O[OLH\[OVY

xxiiSHU VVYL *OYPZ[PUL :[LLSL >+ Z[HMM YPLUN [VGovernor Freudenthal, Common Core tandards roject, ayKVJ\TLU[VUSL^P[OH\[OVY

xxiii yoming tate Board of Education eeting E,August 5, 2009, ittle America Conference Room, Cheyenne, http//edu.wyoming.gov/stateboardofeducation/eeting_aterials.aspx

xxiv yoming tate Board of Education eeting E,anuary 14, 2010, eleconference, http//edu.wyoming.gov/stateboardofeducation/eeting_aterials.aspx

xxv yoming tate Board of Education eeting E,April 16, 2010, Goshen County chool District #1Board Room, orrington, http//edu.wyoming.gov/stateboardofeducation/eeting_aterials.aspx

xxvi yoming Department of Education tandards eam,Recommendations Related to Adopting the Common Coretate tandards in English anguage Arts and ath,

xxvii Common Core tate tandards nitiative, http//www.corestandards.org/publiclicense

xxviii Robert . Eitel and ent D. albert, he Road to aational Curriculum he legal aspects of Common Core,Race to the op and the Conditional aivers, Feb. 16, 2012,http//www.fedsoc.org/publications/detail/theroadtoanationalcurriculumthelegalaspectsofthecommoncorestandardsracetothetopandconditionalwaivers

xxix O[[W!YLHZVUVYNSLZ^ZMWV\KYLWKM

common core policy brief

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