Common Core standards have had their fair share of detractors but rarely has it faced opposition from the left – no less New York state.
A recent New York Times piece reports that New York’s statewide teachers union has retracted their support for Common Core, while in a rare move both side of the New York legislature have agreed to call on the state to reevaluate the use of Common Core.
What’s more, Governor Andrew Cuomo who had previously pushed for Common Core from the start, has now seen it as a liability going into his potential reelection year. Cuomo went as far as calling the implementation flawed and even charging a group with reevaluating the program for some fixes. Yet New York is not altogether abandoning Common Core standards which one prominent Long Island educator referred to as disastrous.
The problem with Common Core in New York derived from the implementation of new standards. The state education commissioner compared the problems to that of Massachusetts. Back in the early 90s Massachusetts embraced new standards and had problems some early problems, but now the state boasts scores alongside those of exceptional international standards.
Not everyone in New York is in panic mode however. “They love it,” said Myra Wenger of P.S. 253 in Brooklyn. Wenger said her classroom likes her lessons which mirrors many Common Core standards.
The Common Core is primarily meant to build up early age abilities to think critically.
The program is still in its early stages and will need a few more years to truly understand the full spectrum of the results.
–Oghene Oyiborhoro
