Tag: Common Core

The Need for Common Core Educational Standards

The U.S.A. ranks 36th from the top in math in the world.

Common Core is the academic standards now being implemented in 43 states and Washington, D.C. Common Core was created by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It was not created by the Federal government.

Jeb Bush was in support of Common Core until he realized that many Republicans oppose it. Now, based upon his comment at last Thursday’s debate, he only supports higher standards but not federally created ones.

The question is how does the United States compare with other nations? You can find the information you want to support your preconceived answer to this question.

I believe this organization is about as good as it gets to finding the answer to the above question. https://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/the-stats

Compared to other countries, we fail in math and science.

In the growing global marketplace, students will need to excel in both math and science to compete internationally as engineers, scientists, physicians, and creative entrepreneurs. Yet, in a 2012 analysis of student performance on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the U.S. placed 27th out of 34 countries in math performance and 20th in science performance.4

Of course you can deny studentsfirst claims. They might have an agenda that really is not intended to help students excel. I just can’t find it.

The 36th ranking was developed by The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, results from PISA 2012. This is not news. It was discussed by Fareed Zakaria on his CNN GPS progam. The discrepancy between 27th and 36th probably lies in the evaluation of separate parts of China.

The leading nations or cities were:

  1. Shanghai-China
  2. Singapore
  3. Hong Kong-China
  4. Chinese Taipei
  5. Korea
  6. Macao-China
  7. Japan

13. Canada

16.   Germany

17. Viet Nam

25. France

26. United Kingdom

34. Russian Federation

36. United States

Those fighters against common core seem to want to defend their preference for mediocrity.

An American Education

Common Core standards were created during the George W. Bush administration. It was, in my opinion, the wisest decision made during his presidency. We now have a list of expectations for every grade level throughout the United States. Those that denounce the setting of standards are supporting mediocrity in our schools.

On December 3, 2013, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced yet again that American students were doing terribly when tested, in comparison to students in sixty-one other countries and a few cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong. Duncan presided over the release of the latest international assessment of student performance in reading, science, and mathematics (called the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA), and Shanghai led the nations of the world in all three categories. Of the 61 nations the United States came in as “average” or 31st place.

I know that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people have written about America’s educational system. Here is my take.

The average American family faces a daunting task sending their children to college. Those children in poorer families where neither parent has a college education has a very poor chance of going to college and if they do, they have no support to reach completion. The problem isn’t just student ability there is a challenge of cost. Rather than provide everyone with an opportunity to obtain a college education we refuse to tax ourselves sufficiently to offer even a free community college education.

The cost of state run universities is high with a cost reaching $3,300 at the University of Oregon per semester to the University of California Los Angeles $6,800 per semester. Obviously private universities cost significantly more.

Is it any wonder that we have a poorly educated society? Those that want the education, whose families lack the money, will simple obtain student loans that will take decades to repay.

Where does this leave America?  The U.S.A. is the giant that no longer wants to make the sacrifices to lead the world.  The consequences will become apparent in the next few decades.