Two For the Core

[Chris_Wendt]

Last night I rode the train home with two moms from a neighboring district. They were chatting about fellow parents complaining about too much homework for their kids, and those other parents' kids' homework and extra help sessions interfering with sports and religion. (These two ladies were not complaining about their own kids, just chatting about the tenor of discussions at back-to-school night and at parent-teacher conferences). They were also remarking that some parents did not want services recommended for their kids, while other parents were demanding services for their kids which their district either refused to provide or pay for. They talked about a number of parents paying for private tutoring or using commercial tutoring services (storefronts), and what that costs the other parents.

I inquired if the Common Core was at issue, and they yes, but "not for us". I asked what they meant. Their kids are doing excellent in the same elementary school, in second grade. The brouhaha they had been discussing was among the third, fourth and fifth grade parents, and largely centered around the Assessment scores from last spring, to which Kindergarten, First-, and Second-graders are not subjected.

They volunteered that their own kids, second graders now, are thriving because of the Common Core. They explained examples, particularly in math, that quite frankly impressed me a lot, especially considering they were now talking second grade. My own daughter backed up this math example from the more distance district out in Suffolk.

Three take-aways for me, personally:

• the Common Core Curriculum is sounding better to me, at least in terms of Primary Grades. I would have added "...in predominately white, high-performing districts and schools", but my daughter's district and school is neither of those.
  
  
• ...in the grades where students are/have been subjected to NY State Common Core Assessments, issues have arisen and parents are not only vocal but also in-concert in their feelings, opinions, and actions in response to those issues linked to the Common Core Assessments.
  
  
• ...the most striking statement my two commuter moms made yesterday was that the Common Core is the only thing their kids have ever known, so they (the kids) have nothing to compare with, and therefore, nothing to complain about. The kids LIKE IT, at least in Second Grade.

This caused me to conjecture that perhaps the Common Core should have been started with K-2 children, and rolled-out along with those same children as they progressed through the grade levels. Wantagh did this, successfully, with the implementation of Elementary School Language and some other programs at the secondary level.

More food for additional though.

Chris Wendt

[lilly]

So, I know it was cold this weekend. But did hell really freeze over?

[Chris_Wendt]

A skim-coating of ice formed on my pool, but I also managed to pick the last three tomatoes off the vine on Friday. Hell is probably still going full-steam.

I have recently read others suggesting that the Common Core should be, (should have been) introduced in lower grades and brought up along with those kids until fully implemented K-12. Who knows, that may yet be part of the FIX they come up with.

Personally, I will be interested to see if the new, old, "New Math" makes it, this time, as part of the Common Core Curriculum. I never did get it, though.

Chris Wendt