YOURVIEWS
The consequences of Common Core
Most people do not know the dangers posed by the Common Core State Standards for math and English already quietly adopted by all school districts in Wisconsin, though Germantown is moving away from it.
Karen Schroeder, president of Advocates for Academic Freedom, will speak on Common Core at the Cedarburg America Legion Hall at 7 p.m. Jan. 23. More information is available at www.commoncorewisconsin. wordpress.com.
Common Core and related regulations do this:
■ Move more control of education from the local community to the state and federal levels.
■ Impose one-size-fits-all (in many cases, lower) standards and curriculum on all schools.
■ Increase time spent on testing and reduce learning time.
■ Propagate personal and private student data across the state and federal landscape.
■ It further limits teachers to teach and students to learn as they see fit.
■ Empower the controlling “edutocracy” in Washington, D.C.
I give credit to West Bend’s Superintendent Ted Neitzke and the West Bend schools for working to achieve above and beyond Common Core standards, but the full scope of the Common Core initiative has not hit yet. Common Core assessments come in 2014-15. I fear their efforts will be suborned to the national objectives.
The Wisconsin Legislature supported funding of Common Core-aligned tests and a statewide database. Legislators are working to undo some of this after statewide hearings and recommendations of a special committee. Give them your support.
Monte Schmiege West Bend