"Common Core" Explained - Part Three

Common Core is the most recent version of a five-decade long reform movement, which has stressed over and over that public schools are failing. It all started with Sputnik.

In 2012, McDonnell and Weatherford, professors at UC-Santa Barbara, examined the connection of Common Core, policy, and politics. Contrary to common perception, public schools were not failing. They discovered that politics determined the definitions of what makes up “research” in order to support policy decisions concerning the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). In other words, the tail wags the dog.

McDonnell and Weather...