Children of the Core

by Kris L. Nielsen

The Common Core State Standards have been lauded as one of the most revolutionary ways to close the achievement gaps in reading and math, make our country competitive in the world economy, and equalize the playing field for all of our students in public K-12 schools. The reality is much different from the promises. Teachers are burning out and leaving the profession, states are cutting already-too-low education budgets, and districts are closing school after school in mostly low-income neighborhoods. This is not how we achieve greatness. This is how we narrow our potential and crush dreams. The ultimate suffering goes to the children. Nielsen helps us see, through his deep understanding of how children learn, and by the childrens’ thoughts he shares, that so long as we seek the “right answers” we are hopelessly lost. The Common Core is built upon this fundamental error. He helps us back up and reconsider what it is that our children truly need. Ironically, Nielsen is doing the critical thinking that the Common Core falsely promised it would promote. But unlike the tests that come along to measure compliance with standards, this thinking leads us to question, to challenge, and ultimately to escape the limits of the standardized thinking that has entrapped our schools.

Genres: Education

222 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2013

About the author

Kris L. Nielsen has worked in education for about a decade, and has been a middle grades educator and instructional leader for six years in New Mexico, Oregon, and North Carolina. He is a graduate of Western Governors University's Master of Science Education program, with emphasis on child development and instructional technology.
Kris is an activist against corporate education reform and has had his writing featured in several online magazines and blogs, including those of the Washington Post and Diane Ravitch. He currently blogs at www.atthechalkface.com.
Keep in mind that the blog feeding here is from @ The Chalk Face, where I write. Not all blog posts are written by me or endorsed by me. Look for my name! ;)

Reviews

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Why are we telling the state governments that, even tho we can't pay our teachers, buy classroom supplies, pay for field trips, invest in technology, fund scholarships, or fix our school buildings, it's okay to pay Pearson, TFA, ACT and College Board millions of dollars to prepare our kids for narrow, standardized tests?" Why, indeed.

Kris Nielsen's book is fierce in support of public schools and the kids and teachers who struggle to make education meaningful. This book left me cheering in agreement. He gets it!

His story has been shared online -- a mid-year resignation forced by too many tests, not enough time to teach and learn, and that breaking point reached. I so admire his courage to just walk away. I will do the same in a few months.

I hope I'll continue to fight as hard as Nielsen has, in my own way.

His book is readable and reasonable. He gives us a fast look at education reform and standardized testing. He explains why poverty cannot be overcome by passionate teachers working overtime, and he offers creative ideas for 'new visions and models for education.'

I read this on my iPad, highlighting like crazy. NOW, it's too hard to search for my favorite passages, so I've ordered a hard copy so I can tab and highlight and easily search. This book is SO worth having a kindle and hard copy!

I wish I could afford to buy a copy for my administrators and my legislators. I'm soo sorry for my colleagues who will be charged with implementing this mess. They have to play along, pretend they believe in CCSS, pretend this will be the answer. Then, in several years, when all this falls apart, they're the ones who will be blamed. They, and their students, are innocent victims of a corporate mentality that wants to gut public schools, and CCSS is the vehicle.

Some of my favorite lines:

"Gone are the days of creativity, innovation, personal growth, teamwork and dreams; here are the days of nationalized pideonholing, segregation and dysfunction."

"Teaching is a research-based, yet heart-driven practice, based on many types of informal and formal qualitative and quantitative data, and it's getting more complex."

"Our students need us all to be leaders and advocates for their futures."

"When students feel that they have a positive relationship with their teacher, they will do almost anything for that teacher, including hard work."

"A new movement needs to rise where the student voice is equally participant in the discussions of all things education, from policy to instruction to teacher evaluation."

"Technology isn't the answer when it narrows the learning, whether it's a SMART Board or a new class set of computers on which to take Common Core assessments."

OK, these quotes are just from the first 49 pages. Get the idea? This book is chock-full of wisdom and hope and passion.

[amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really a review here. Just some thoughts upon reflecting.

I definitely agree that an educational system built around standardized testing is a bad idea. But... Is this new "Common Core" set of standards (and tests aligned to those standards) really such a greater evil than the smaller-scale, state-by-state version of essentially the same stuff (standards and tests aligned to those particular standards) that came before it? I don't know about the rest of the country, but the CCSS are a giant step up from the current ones in Idaho. As with any set of standards (that I didn't write myself), there's stuff I like and stuff I'd prefer to ignore. But if I have to teach to standards, these really aren't all bad.

It IS puzzling that these new tests are so much harder. (I know for sure that the SBAC is much more difficult, but I'll take the author's word about the other one.) He suggests that the tests were purposefully created this way, the intended result being a cascade of school closures, ultimately leading to a privatized educational system.

One reason I'm having trouble jumping on the author's cynical, hate-the-core bandwagon is that I'm intrigued by the new math standards, particularly the emphasis on understanding concepts rather than blindly following steps. I really believe that the folks who worked to craft these new standards tackled the task with the best of intentions.

With that said, it would be seriously disappointing to uncover an economic agenda behind all of this. Yes, education could be a huge market if the government would just get out of the way, and I'm sure there's powers out there pushing for this.

Adhering to a rigid system of standards in preparation for a standardized test is not the way to teach and it's not the way to learn. It kills creativity, as well as genuine interest and independent thought. It's a cruel thing to do to our kids, and I think it's bad for society in general. This standardized top-down mess is based entirely on the flawed idea that an educational system should be structured the same way as an industrial system, in a misguided attempt to increase efficiency and hold teachers "accountable". The author speaks eloquently about this in his book. I get it, and I agree whole-heartedly.

I wish the author had dug a bit deeper, rather than simply speculating about hidden agendas. Instead so much of the book was spent ranting against standardized testing/teaching-to-the-test/etc, which almost all teachers would agree is not the best model for a healthy educational system. But it's not like standardized testing/curriculum was born with the Common Core, right?

I just am not quite convinced that the Common Core is essentially the problem.

[William Lawrence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children of the Core is more about poor top down (Michelle Rhee style) management of education than it is about Common Core. I agree with many of the points Nielsen makes about big testing, but this book adds to confusion over standards vs methods. Also, tech companies don't necessarily benefit from Core, or even fit into a discussion of standards. Standards are not supposed to dictate how one teaches, but philosophical theories do. Believe me, I've seen schools in states that do not use core that are terribly oppressive to the teachers based on a top down mandate of "teach to our way." Then I've seen core schools manage very well with teachers who have lots of freedom and autonomy. It all depends on upper admin. I'm going to gather that Nielsen landed in a few really oppressive top down environments, and they just happened to be on the core side.

[April Franklin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting but I wish it went more in depth regarding alternative ideas that would also lead to high achievement. I absolutely agree with the author that standardized tests are a poor way to determine who really understands material, and encourage a shallow level of cramming and memorization rather than true learning. But I'd have liked more examination of alternate methods of learning and how they work.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book, especially for those who are not in schools right now and do not understand what is happening to public education. As Kris Nielsen suggests, it truly is time to start providing a well-rounded, student-centered, nurturing education for the children of this country.

[Liz Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for any parent with children in public schools and for anyone who cares about the future of public education in this country.The title of the book is deliberately haunting, but no more so than the damage already done to children through high-stakes testing. All high-stakes testing can do is assess an extremely limited set of skills+the state of mind of the child on the day of the test+family's income level. A child's wide range of talents and abilities is removed from the equation and they become a data point. The Common Core State Standards are inextricably linked to high-stakes testing. How else can profiteers make as much money as possible? As seen in NYS this spring and summer, the new tests aligned with the CCSS failed 70% of NYS's children, failed 97% of English Learners and failed 95% of children with special needs. This drop was predicted by the State Commissioner of Education: John King. His prescience is likely to spill over to a next round of tests (once everyone is using CC$$) that will show how much students have improved now the CC$$ are implemented.
Children of the Core is factual, informative and it offers real solutions to the problems facing today's public schools (for example: join United Opt-Out and stop your child from becoming a data point). As Kris Nielsen points out: "Our Kids' Futures are at Risk".

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am decidedly anti-CCSS.

But one of the problems it is easy to run into when joining that fight is the politics at play. There are numerous aspects of this monster to dislike, and it can feel like not everyone is playing on the same team.

Mr. Nielsen appears to be a democrat, and this book takes up the fight from an anti-big business aspect. Good, and important in this discussion.

The thing I am still trying to decide is.. exactly what are the future repercussions of this disaster? Why would something so obviously flawed EVER make it into public schools?

Mr. Nielsen feels that the answers can be found in Big Business. They, he contend, WANT our schools closed and replaced with for-profit charters.

Is that the case? I don't know. It's certainly something worth considering.

This, like his other book, is an easy read. And I was happy to see the bi-partisan aspects (honestly, the really crappy education promised by CCSS is completely bi-partisan, as is the fact that good teachers are quitting the profession). He does describe the origins of this, which is good. Ultimately, if you are just trying to put this mess into context, Mr. Nielsen's books are an excellent starting point.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read this book for a course that is part of my masters program in literacy education. This author has great points to make, but does not provide enough evidence or go deep enough into the problems with Common Core to be believable. Instead, his anger and indignation come across without being academic or totally believable. I so wish he had done a better job of arguing his case. I really do.

[Tracy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 pages into to the Preface and something's not sitting well with me. First, he refers to our society as a democracy. But many make that same mistake. Then he mentions he's glad he lives in a society that believes every child deserves a free education. Maybe a little socialist sounding to me, but I'll give him more than 2 pages. :)

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very informative, well written. Provided other resources to gather information on Common Core.

[Noelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book if you want to understand what is happening to our schools and our children. Then fight to take our schools back! Opt them out of high-stakes testing!

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice summary of high-stakes testing and the common core. I think it's better structured than a few of the more popular books on the topic...

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this book here: http://turnthepagelisa.wordpress.com/...

[Russell Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good analysis of the issues that we're facing as district implement Common Core.