Common Core Education Standards

What is Common Core?

• The Common Core Education Standards are a series of education standards and curriculum that are currently implemented in 42 of the 50 state public school systems.

• Common Core is often called confusing by teachers who did not receive their teaching degree or grew up learning this system.

• Common Core is often associated with “Singapore Math” which is a significant part of the Mathematics Curriculum.

How did this happen?

• In 2008, two education reform activists convinced billionaire and Microsoft CEO, Bill Gates to contribute over $200 million to fund the movement.

• Gates proceeded to organize the movement and was instrumental in convincing 45 of the 50 states to adopt the standards. However the Obama Administration took over after a while.

• It is believed that Gates was so successful in rallying support because he paid off the state governments who needed money badly in 2008 as long as they adopted Common Core.

Example Problems

• This may seem “okay” to you right now but after taking a look at some of the problems, perhaps you will change your mind.

"4. Felix made 8 birthday invitations with hearts. He made some more with stars. He made 17 invitations in all. How many had hearts?"

7+ 7= ___=____ .

3⋰⋱4

The flaws in these problems should be made obvious. In the first example, they give you the answer in the first question! This teaches students to spend more time looking for shortcuts than actually teaching them math! As for the second problem, in the older curriculum this problem would be divided into three separate problems and students would draw the relation on their own. Now it is force fed and made far more confusing with these “number bonds.”

What can we do next?

• You can start by sharing the URL below and get people informed.

www.unitedstateseducationnow.com• Do further research on Common Core and join

others actively seeking to remove it from the state public schools.

• Write to your state government and join the others urging them to repeal Common Core.

• With enough support, hopefully Common Core will be removed and we can return to the old system and make necessary reforms without having negative affects.

Works Cited

• "Common Sense for Common Core." Blame Common Core. CICERO Systems, 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://blamecommoncore.com/about/>.

• Lanton, Lyndsey. "How Bill Gates pulled of the swift Common Core revolution." The Washington Post. The Washington Post, 7 June 2014. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-bill-gates-pulled-off-the-swift-common-core-revolution/2014/06/07/a830e32e-ec34-11e3-9f5c-9075d5508f0a_story.html>.

• Torres, Alec. "The Ten Dumbest Common Core Problems." National Review. National Review, 20 Mar. 2014. Web. 27 Apr. 2015. <http://www.nationalreview.com/article/373840/ten-dumbest-common-core-problems-alec-torres>.

• Walton, Alice G. "The Science Of The Common Core: Experts Weigh In On Its Developmental Appropriateness." Forbes. N.p., 23 Oct. 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2014/10/23/the-science-of-the-common-core-experts-weigh-in-on-its-developmental-appropriateness/>.

• "Who is Behind Common Core?" Arizonans Against Common Core. Arizonans Against Common Core, 2013. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://www.arizonansagainstcommoncore.com/Who_Behind_CC.html>.

• Wood, Genieve. "This Top Teacher is Right: Common Core is the wrong solution." The Daily Signal. The Daily Signal, 30 Mar. 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2015. <http://dailysignal.com/2015/03/30/this-top-teacher-is-right-common-core-is-wrong-solution/>.