Commentary: Common Core puts U.S. on the path to mediocrity
Women’s garments labeled one size fits all, generally a dress or blouse, bear more resemblance to a tent on slender women than to a stylish frock. It’s an illustration that we are all not the same but different, and have different needs. The same principle applies to education.
Prior to the unionization of the teaching profession and the imposition of a standard, left-leaning single curriculum for all students in the mid-1960s, public schools offered several programs of instruction: vocational, general studies and college-prep. The latter track was further divided into honors classes for the most gifted students and regular classes for average students.
Students were separated by interest and academic rank. The system worked well for decades to prepare students for their chosen career path, be it an auto mechanic, secretary or physician. In big cities, such as New York, there were also public high schools that offered unique curricula in science and fine arts, such as the Bronx High School of Science.
Similar schools included the High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College, Staten Island Technical High School of American Studies at Lehman College, the High School of Music and Art and the Performing Arts, as well as nationally ranked academic institutions, such as Stuyvesant High School.
These institutions accounted for the phenomenal success of the Baby Boom generation, the last to reap the benefits of an education system that was unrivaled in the world. Sadly, public education in America has retreated from that position ever since.
The breadth and depth of the curricula at these schools, and the amount of work expected of its students in those days, bear little resemblance to the watered down politically correct curriculum at most public high schools today. This has resulted in an un-educated student population, whose mediocre scores on international assessments of academic achievement are a global embarrassment and a worrisome barometer of the nation’s future.
In their despair at this massive decline in standards, parents, educators and private entrepreneurs have developed alternative institutions, such as charter schools, online academies and home schools, which have proven highly successful in reversing the downward decline in the state-controlled system.
Home-schooled graduates generally score 20 to 40 percentage points higher than their public-school peers, according to a study by the Home School Legal Defense Assn.
A higher percentage of charter school graduates enter colleges than those of public schools. The lesson to be learned is that a good education produces good results. A glance at an 1895 eighth grade Kansas or 1925 California final exam proves the point.
One size does not fit all in public education. Teaching geared to the average or slowest students in the class harms the brightest, severely limiting their achievement. The best hope to restore America’s former level of academic excellence must be to adopt the techniques provided in the programs offered by charter and home schools, the specialized high schools like those in New York City and the Catholic schools that have made them so successful.
Most importantly, there must be no mistake about the motivation behind the war on excellence. It is pure, unadulterated envy. With Common Core, the president’s signature education program, it is envy writ large. It is part of President Obama’s efforts to debase American excellence that, sadly, appear to be bearing fruit.
War demands an appropriate response. It is essential to understand the psychology of Common Core and to mount an effective response. With the vast amount of funding available to public schools, more must be demanded.
There was a time when excellence was the gold standard. Those days must be restored for our country’s children to have any hope for a bright future. To do that, we must first win the war.
Dr. R. CLAIRE FRIEND lives in Newport Beach.