Cults of Progressivism & Common Core Need Scrutiny
Most of the Western World has been infected with force-fed education changes called “transformations”.
In Canada we have Personalized Learning, Inspired Education, Achieving Excellence — all with the same template as Common Core and same narratives but with different titles. Internationally, and within UN agencies, these are seen as 21st Century Learning projects preparing students for career, college and citizenship.
In England a new book is calling Progressivism to account. By Googling you will find many informative reviews for — Progressively Worse: The Burden of Bad Ideas in British Schools, by Robert Peal. Here is part of the foreword:https://teachingbattleground.wordpress.com/2014/04/28/progressively-worse-a-subversive-text/
For many people uneasy about these 21st Century presumptuous education projects the most disturbing thing is the methods used to bring about compliance. Implementation is seen as coercive and stealthy. These transformations have not been justified by any demonstrated need nor grounded in evidence-based research. Many of the approaches are experimental with no protocols assuring safeguards to students. These methods to extract agreement are objectionable and not in keeping with democratic principles.
Since many public teachers are guaranteed “autonomy” in selection of materials for lessons they can select from a wide range of materials that may very well be ideologically slanted. Or the teacher might be thus inclined anyway and search for compatible material. This is happening regarding the 21st Century Competency Goal of “critical thinking” which we might agree is desirable and needed. However, just simply checking for texts on Amazon without even going to textbook publishers one would be alarmed to find books on Critical Theory and Critical Pedagogy, many of which convey pure Marxist doctrine teaching social justice and who is oppressed and needs “emancipation”.
I think our politicians are beginning to see how education of the young needs more information and oversight regarding this public service. Australia is already well into two reviews — into The National Curriculum and into Teacher Training. England has just announced a Review into Initial Teacher Training.
[my comment on Education News today http://www.educationviews.org/sign-letter-common-core-standards/comment-page-1/#comment-356486