Common Controversy
Writing 2-03
12 March, 2015
Synthesis With Annotated Bibliography
Help Received: None
Ethan Keyser
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Common Controversy
Education has always been important to Americans and maintaining a democratic society. Americans have always prided themselves in the quality of the education system and its availability. Recently there have been many questions about whether America’s education system is keeping up with the rest of the world. In an attempt to increase the quality of the United State’s education system and create a set of universal standards, Common Core was adopted. Since its inception it has been a topic of much debate and a source of disunity among the American people, but what is it about Common Core that makes it so controversial?
One of the leading issues that is deliberated about Common Core is whether or not it is constitutional. The Common Core website totes Common Core as “Universal standards” that will be uniform across all states. These standards are supposedly the “best in the world” and will make sure that young Americans are ready to “succeed in life”. These all sound like good things, but Julia Borowski at Freedom Works –one of the groups spearheading the opposition to Common Core, takes issue with many aspects of the legislation. For one, the education system has always been run by individual states; yet, the federal government oversees Common Core. Because of this, Julia Borowski feels that Common Core is being “forced” upon the states by the federal government. Freedom Works believes that because the federal government regulates it, Common Core is unconstitutional. Additionally, Journalist Marcia Clemmitt writes in her article on Common Core that many people (mostly on the political right) think of common core as an overstep by the federal government and that many states have passed legislation that bans Common
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Core. That said, she also states that the dispute over the constitutionality of Common Core is far from decided, and it will likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Regardless of whether or not it is constitutional, the second point of debate is if Common Core is really better for the students. The Brown Center Report has found that in states where Common Core has been implemented there has been little to no increase in test scores. So although it is not successful, it does not appear to be harmful. Nevertheless, sources like Emma Brown writing for the Washington Post have found that almost half of the states that originally signed on to Common Core have now withdrawn from using it, mainly because of blowback from parents and teachers. For many teachers, Common Core seems like a straight jacket, limiting what the teacher can teach, and forcing them to “teach for the test”. In Marcia Clemmitt’s article, parents that have seen the standardized tests being given to their children are not impressed. The parents find the tests confusing and not helpful for their child. This is the main thrust of the counter argument to Common Core.
Although there are strong arguments on either side for if Common Core is constitutional or helpful, ultimately the debate boils down to the cost. Julia Borowski maintains that the hundreds of millions of dollars that States are forced to pay when accepting Common Core is a waste of money. She argues that Common Core costs so much and does nothing to increase the quality of education. Julia Borowski’s statement is backed up by research from Mathew Frizzell at the Center for Education Policy. Matthew Frizzell has found that Common Core will cost the country billions of dollars; however, Mr. Frizzell’s research does not indicate whether or not this increased spending is worth it. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Common Core website insists that there is no price
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for the good that Common Core is supposed to do for American schoolchildren. The value of Common Core verse its benefit is a hotly contested issue to which there is no easy answer.
Overall, the only thing that professionals can agree on about Common Core is that it will be very expensive; whether or not it will be worth the price is a different story. The arguments cover everything from the constitutional grounds of the legislation to the effect that it has on teachers in the classroom. In my paper I will be arguing that the effects of Common Core ranging from marginally positive to downright negative, do not justify the hefty price tag.
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“About the Standards.” Common Core State Standards Initiative About the Standards Comments. Core Standards, 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
This source comes directly from the Common Core website and discusses how the ideals of Common Core are backed up by many different studies. The webpage lays out the main mission of Common Core and what it hopes to accomplish. It claims that the reforms brought about by Common Core will lead to higher standards of education and better prepare young students for higher education and real world problems. This site does not have much credibility because it is the Common Core website. Although the site claims to have the support of numerous studies, the fact that it is paid for by the people trying to promote the bill calls any and all of the claims into question. However, it will be very helpful for understanding the argument in support of Common Core. I will be using this source in my paper to understand the pro-Common Core argument, and provide support for it.
Borowski, Julia. “Top 10 Reasons to Oppose Common Core.” Freedom Works. Freedom Works, 26 July 2013. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
The article written by Julia Borowski on freedomworks.com discusses possible issues with common core and its implementation. The source lists 10 reasons why common core may not be a good idea and why it is unconstitutional. The source freedom works is a credible website however the site does have an agenda against common core and is therefore not an objective source. The source will be useful in that it provides one side of the argument. Freedom Works is widely accepted to be the voice of the
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opposition to common core, their argument can help me better understand the position against common core.
Clemmitt, Marcia. “Education.” CQ Researcher. CQR Press, 19 June 2014. Web. 17 Feb. 2015.
The “Education” article written by Marcia Clemmitt focuses heavily on the topic of “Common Core” which is related to the topic on which I plan on writing. The paper starts of by explaining the nature of Common Core. After a brief history the author explains the current position of the Common Core legislation and the likely future of the program. Following the history, the author discusses different groups and States that are for or against common core. Additionally, The piece draws from a large number of sources and includes many citations. That said, it does seem to be biased in favor of Common Core, devoting more time talking about the reasons it is supported as opposed to the reasons against the legislation. There is also a timeline of the development of common core included at the end of the paper.
This article will be beneficial to my paper because it gives a history of the legislation and provides and overview of the positions taken on either sides of the issue. The source will also be useful because it takes a position supporting common core, which is the position that I am not as familiar with.
Frizzell, Matthew, Dunderdale, Tara.” A Compendium of Research on the Common Core StateStandards. Center For Education Policy: CEP, 2015. Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
This source was a large study conducted by Matthew Frizzell and Tara Dunderdale. The study covers the state of the education system in America. One of the sections of this study is on Common Core and its recent application. The study compares the test score averages of States that have implemented Common Core against those who have not. In their research Frizzell and Dunderdale found that so far Common Core does not appear to have any positive or negative effects on the test scores of the State where it is implemented. The study is an outside source and so it should be fairly credible. In addition, it does not appear to be biased in either direction. This will be one of the foundational pieces of my paper and help me by giving an unbiased and credible opinion.
Loveless, Tom. How Well Are American Students Learning. Research: Brookings, 2014 Web. 24 Feb. 2015.
The final source is another research study conducted by third-party; it starts off by comparing the United States education systems to those of other countries, primarily China. The study then focuses extensively on common core and how it has performed so far in the states in which it has been put in place. The study admits that common core is still in it early stages, but it provides some good data. Because it is a study conducted by a third party it is a credible source. I will use this source for evidence in my paper.