“I know, I know, just bear with me for a minute. Whether we like it or not, the Common Core State Standards are here to stay. So, by a show of hands, how many of you know what the Common Core is?” Every hand in the room went up. “Okay, who would like to give me a thumbnail sketch?” Several hands rose excitedly. “Yes, you,” James said, pointing to a boy in the back row.
“The Common Core is another blatant attempt by the federal government to take over control of public education, and centralize more power in Washington, DC. Now, I know what you’re going to say, you’re going to tell us that the standards were not developed in Washington; you’re going to say they are a function of the National Governors Association, and that their development …show more content…
“And that’s exactly what I’d expect to hear from an audience of intelligent young men and women being recruited as Beacon teachers, it warms my heart – you guys are certainly very well informed. Okay, so look, I agree with you: From a policy and political perspective, the Common Core State Standards are just another progressive inroad. However, we’re going to use them to turn the system on its head. So, everyone in this room needs to live and breathe these standards; understand exactly what they’re asking our students to know and be able to do, and ensure that every Beacon Academy student can demonstrate mastery on standardized assessments aligned to the Common …show more content…
Beacon Academy is going to show America another way - a better path. One important step along that path is showing America that we can beat the current system. Beacon Academy will produce students who don’t just score well; our students will score the very best in the nation. We need to push our students to excel on the Common Core tests, and show the country that our approach is far superior to anything possible in traditional public schools. This will create the political capital necessary for us to revolutionize public
“The Common Core is another blatant attempt by the federal government to take over control of public education, and centralize more power in Washington, DC. Now, I know what you’re going to say, you’re going to tell us that the standards were not developed in Washington; you’re going to say they are a function of the National Governors Association, and that their development …show more content…
“And that’s exactly what I’d expect to hear from an audience of intelligent young men and women being recruited as Beacon teachers, it warms my heart – you guys are certainly very well informed. Okay, so look, I agree with you: From a policy and political perspective, the Common Core State Standards are just another progressive inroad. However, we’re going to use them to turn the system on its head. So, everyone in this room needs to live and breathe these standards; understand exactly what they’re asking our students to know and be able to do, and ensure that every Beacon Academy student can demonstrate mastery on standardized assessments aligned to the Common …show more content…
Beacon Academy is going to show America another way - a better path. One important step along that path is showing America that we can beat the current system. Beacon Academy will produce students who don’t just score well; our students will score the very best in the nation. We need to push our students to excel on the Common Core tests, and show the country that our approach is far superior to anything possible in traditional public schools. This will create the political capital necessary for us to revolutionize public