What is the purpose of a national education curriculum?

If we allow socio-economic variables to decide who succeeds and who does not, then we have failed at creating an effective public education system. Of course, on average, 'some' kids who are in families of parents and siblings and higher incomes will succeed more often. But when we know that 'some' or 'many' kids in broken families and low incomes are going to fail, how can the education system account for this instead of ignoring this? We can't demand that all kids have two loving and involved parents, and safe neighborhoods, etc. so how do we design an education system that does not fail this group? I say start with modernizing all public school facilities, create a financial incentive for the best educators to travel and work in troubled schools, demand that federal and local governments end the crime and ghetto conditions, no direct costs for breakfast and lunch and books/materials, and don't allow truancy. Yes I know...an impossible task.

If we don't take steps to improve then we just perpetuate and grow the current problems...which IMO is what will happen. I believe the collective we are incapable of designing such a system and we certainly will refuse to fund a world class public education system. Obama whines about 'inequality' yet ignores all the root issues which help to spawn these inequalities...this is what politics provides...absolutely nothing!!

 

The states are a preferable (though not ideal) alternative. Anything which moves government closer to the individual is an improvement. Divide it as finely as is possible.

This issue isn't so significant because you can (in some parts of the world) educate your children yourself, satisfying all the regulations of the state - but at least you get to teach them. If you're of the right religion you might even be allowed sovereignty over the issue to a large degree. The main burden on me is that I pay for your kid even if I never use the service.

Taking $9000 from each individual, then redistributing that $9000 back to all the same people - would be fine by me. Provided of course you negotiate with each person on voluntary terms for whatever conditions either party might want, such as interest pa from organization operating the program. So you better have some lucrative plans for that money while you're waiting to redistribute.

 

I have not much knowledge about it, I agreed, surely there will be certain standards in math/English/whatever, regardless of their state, because they never be in the same state.

 

IT has been discussed by the people from the states who authored and approved it. It was created by a group of governors, etc.

 

I think its mainly to have one learning standard for all children. I definitely do not put much creed in conspirator theories.

 

A couple of weeks ago in the Bay area, on the news, was a gunman or gang at a school, and they locked down the school then closed it the next day. The response from the administrators was 'we must stay open or we lose government funding'. They didn't care about the safety of the kids or the curriculum...just the government funding which is based on total school days of each student. Too bad these administrators and schools do not receive government funding based on successfully educating the kids...

 

Perhaps its time to change the system?

 

I prefer to believe I'm a realist...and as such I would say it's impossible to 'change the system'. Why...because we are collectively too stupid to find consensus, and we can't find the quantity of quality people needed, and governments will not clean up the crime and gangs and ghettoes where kids live, and most importantly...Americans refuse to fund the best of anything...

 

My thought is that you haven't read the Common Core standards. Few people have, as they are quite lengthy, but I doubt you have read any part of them or understand what they are.

It's more of an attempt to improve instruction using a top down government controlled method of setting goals that all students everywhere are expected to attain. The idea that all schools all over the country should be teaching the same thing is highly questionable, but it is not an attempt to "indoctrinate" anyone. It's an attempt to see to it that schools are accountable to the government. It's more micro managing than anything else.

 

Standards and standardized tests should be thrown out entirely. So should grading systems. The old-fashioned liberal education is finished.

 

A lot of the educational atrocities out there that are published in the name of Common Core are not really required for Common Core. Common Core standards are pretty vague, so a lot of things can qualify as being common core.

For all, below is the link to the actual Common Core Standards:
http://www.corestandards.org/read-the-standards/

The actual standards are vague enough, that honestly, there shouldn't be any argument that all states couldn't adopt it. They are really more process-based than content based outside of math.

Here are the Third grade reading literature standards (chosen at semi-random):