COMMON CORE - A NEWER STRATEGY FOR TEACHING: POSTED BY RONALD PAWLEY December 11, 2013

A new standard of teaching is surfacing on the horizon called COMMON CORE. It is becoming a contentious issue as both sides of the debate continue. The Common Core state standards were developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers, the National Governors Association, and a Washington-based nonprofit called Achieve. The Common Core standards are not a federal mandate. Rather, states could voluntarily adopt the ENGLISH and MATH standard if they wanted. The Common Core standards do not come with predetermined standardize testing but they certainly lead in that direction, according to analysts. There is considerable debate as to whether the standards will really impact student achievement. Some critics believe that the need is for quality teaching, not common standards to improve students school achievement. There are also concerns about the standards themselves as noted by a Stanford U. professor. He feels the math part of Common Core standards is insufficient, leaving American students two years behind their peers in most high-achieving countries by the end of the 7th grade. Many teachers are seeing pressure on the latest education reforms being imposed on the teaching profession. Some teachers are speaking against this new common core standard. Some say those reforms which tie teachers job evaluation to newer, more difficult tests particularly in New York, which is aggressively pursuing the latest reform agenda. Some teachers dont believe in the Common Core agenda. Many feel there are more accurate ways to measure a students performance. Some also feel it is a controversial measure sweeping the country.

Aimed at improving students performance which ties teacher job evaluation to newer, more difficult tests, New York has been pushing this reform agenda. Some teachers feel they are being vilified and not being heard. The fear is that excellent and well-qualified teachers may vacate the classroom. Additionally, young people may not be able to choose their field of endeavor. Great teachers pride themselves in teaching children to think for themselves. And the ultimate victory is for them to go on to college and work towards a successful career. A push for tougher standards and more accountability is actually redefining how teachers are to deliver their lessons to the students. The Common Core standards have come with more difficult tests and now the students performance on those exams is factored into teachers evaluation. This is controversial, according to the opinion of Ronald Pawley. He feels that while teachers should be accountable, parents also have a vital role in their childrens education by applying strict standards on studying habits. Turn off the tv, social media, and all the distractions that encumber good studying habits at home and apply mental gymnastics to the childs studying habits. There is a great deal of emphasis on the classroom and not enough at home where studying is essential. Many teachers do agree that the changes arent all that bad and they do support higher standards and professional accountability. However, the president of a teachers association in NYS feels that the impact is driving teachers out of the profession and destroying the teaching and learning environment. The intent of the new teaching reforms is said to better support teachers in doing their jobs by giving them information and feedback that should ideally help them become better in their profession Ronald J. Pawley is a retired (1986) chief officer, incident commander, and hazmat professional in emergency chemical incidents at Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y. Kodak Park was among the largest industrial chemical complexes in the northeast. The Kodak Park Fire Department was also considered one of the largest chemical firefighting organizations worldwide, providing fire prevention/protection for over 60,400 employees at Kodak Park.