Common Core provides well-rounded education

opinions

May 22, 2013 - 12:00 AM

A guest editorial

I have taught for 39 years in four school districts. I have seen a lot of changes in our education system, programs, and philosophies. I teach computer applications, keyboarding, yearbook, and health at Iola Middle School. I have taught ninth grade civics, 7-12 health, driver education, motorcycle education, K-12 physical education, web design, journalism, and reading. I am also certified to teach 7-9 language arts, 7-12 biology and I am certified to be a K-8 principal.
As you can see I enjoy learning and have taken a lot of college classes to be certified in all these areas.
Kansas had one of the best education systems in the U.S. and the world as measured by average ACT scores when compared to other states. Our students have done very well on the TIMMS international test. The operative word is had.
From my understanding and the research I have undertaken on Common Core, I have listed what I believe to be the facts.
Common Core guidelines and premises were developed at the governors conference by the state chief education officials in response to the problems and shortcomings of the No Child Left Behind law. Common Core principles were not fostered onto the state by the federal government. The states were allowed an exemption to the No Child Left Behind Education Act to create a better education system to ensure a well-rounded education. This is what the Common Core is supposed to do.
The real shortcoming of the current law was that students weren’t and aren’t getting a well-rounded education. Our education system is test-driven to the point of exclusion of all teaching disciplines except reading and math. If a student cannot meet standards set for these two subjects on that one test day, the school is considered a failure. With that in mind the focus in elementary is almost exclusive to those two subjects. The time spent during the school day is to the detriment of other classes such as science and social studies. In fact most of the day is structured to make sure students meet math and reading standards to the exclusion of all other subject matter. Even at the middle school level, if a student struggles to meet standards they are pulled from electives for remedial work to get extra help. I believe this is not a good thing for education in general and the state of Kansas.
Another reason for Common Core is the mobility of our society. I personally have had students move to Iola from Kentucky, Louisiana, Texas, California, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Mississippi, and many others. Depending on where they came from they may be way behind, on level, or ahead. Notice I didn’t say way ahead. That is because we in Iola are usually on grade level of what is supposed to be taught. Students from the Southeast and Southwest were generally behind. Other geographic areas were on level or slightly ahead. There is a lot of difference in schools in Kansas. The Common Core was developed by the state chief education officers to alleviate the problem of student’s education because they move from state to state. Local control is not a viable option. We live in a global community. We also have had many students move to other states. I would hope they get as good an education there, as we give them.

WE IN IOLA, and I know that in Chanute also, have been working on Common Core for over two years. I have been working on the standards for technology for the last school year. The technology committee is composed of teachers from every elementary grade level that are technologically savvy, and middle school and high school teachers that are directly involved in teaching tech-oriented classes. My wife teaches second grade and collaborated with two other second-grade teachers to write the standards for language arts. She spent almost a year working to get them right.
On a personal note I have received phone calls from some of my students who have moved to other states. I always ask them about their classes and what they are learning. In most instances if they moved south they said they had already had most of the material.
As you can see there is a need for Common Core. If not from a national setting then from school district to school district in Kansas.

— Jack Morrell,
Iola Middle School

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