Articles+with+general+or+diverse+criticisms

media type="custom" key="25815508" //This powerful presentation by a Florida high school math teacher addresses more than just Common Core.//
 * Joshua Katz, "The Toxic Culture of Education," TedX University of Akron, May 2014.**

http://www.livingindialogue.com/common-core-teacher-day-in-california-brought-to-you-by-the-gates-foundation/
 * Common Core Teacher Day in California, Brought to you by the Gates Foundation," //Living in Dialogue,// Jul. 2015.**

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/05/teacher-no-longer-can-i-throw-my-students-to-the-testing-wolves/
 * Dawn Neely-Randall, "Teacher: No Longer Can I Throw My Students to the Testing Wolves," Valerie Strauss' //Answer Sheet// on //Washington Post,// Sep. 2014.**

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anthony-cody/civil-rights-or-civil-wro_b_5648210.html
 * Anthony Cody and Alan Aja, "Civil Rights or Civil Wrongs: A Closer Look at Common Core," //Huffington Post,// Aug. 2014.**

//A take-down of a piece by Cynthia Dagnal-Myron that was published on Huffington Post (includes link).// http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/08/ccss-myths-that-wont-die-already.html
 * Peter Greene, "Common Core Myths that Won't Die Already," //Curmudgucation// blog, Aug. 2014.**

//A take-down of a piece by// //Elena Aguilar// //that was published on// Ed Week //(includes link).// http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/08/patronizing-teachers-for-core.html
 * Peter Greene, "Patronizing Teachers for the Core," //Curmudgucation// blog, Aug. 2014.**

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/08/marketing-and-mystification-for-ccss.html
 * Peter Greene, "Marketing and Mystification for CCSS," //Curmudgucation// blog, Aug. 2014.**

http://ethikapolitika.org/2014/07/23/pillars-sands-shifting-landscape-education/?utm_content=buffer4b386&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
 * Hailey Vrdolyak, "Pillars of Sand: The Shifting Landscape of Education," //Ethika Politika,// Jul. 2014.**

http://zhaolearning.com/2014/07/02/college-ready-vs-out-of-basement-ready-shifting-the-education-paradigm/
 * Yong Zhao, "College Ready vs. Out-of-Basement Ready: Shifting the Education Paradigm," //Yong Zhao: Creative, Entrepreneurial, and Global: 21st Century Education// blog, Jul. 2014.**

http://clemsy.blogspot.com/2014/06/common-core-welcome-children-welcome-to.html
 * Clemsy, "Common Core: Welcome, Children. Welcome to the Machine," //Clemsy's Corner// blog, Jun. 2014.**

http://reclaimreform.com/2014/08/03/synthroid-and-ccss/
 * Ken Previti, "Synthroid and CCSS," //Reclaim Reform,// Aug. 2014.**


 * BadAss Teachers Association Statement on Common Core National Standards,** ** Nov. 2013. (pdf) **

//“The primary people who benefit from Common Core are those who sell products necessitated by the large-scale adoption of new standards. As citizens, we need to ask ourselves if an initiative that mainly benefits a small group of for-profit education companies is really worth the increasingly scarce time, money, energy and attention that is being devoted to this at the expense of other pressing educational concerns.”// http://integrityineducation.org/common-core/
 * Integrity in Education, "Where We Stand: Common Core," //Integrity in Education// site, (undated, accessed Jul. 2014).**

media type="custom" key="25704886" //**Portland, OR, parent Bruce Scherer mocks the use of the word "rigor" by education poseurs **// //**and talks about why it is a horrible word for schools, Apr. 2014. **//

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2014/09/17/four-common-core-flimflams/
 * Carol Burris, "Four Common Core 'Flimflams'," Valerie Strauss' //Answer Sheet// in the //Washington Post//, Sep. 2014.**

//@http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2013/11/common_core_standards_ten_colo.html//
 * Anthony Cody, "Common Core Standards: Ten Colossal Errors," //EdWeek// blog, Nov. 2013.**

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/07/trouble_in_common_core_city_to.html
 * Anthony Cody, "Trouble in Common Core City: Too Many Music Men, Not Enough Librarians," //EdWeek// blog, Jul. 2014.**

https://www.commondreams.org/view/2014/06/30
 * Paul Buchheit, "Five Facts for the Dangerously Deluded Education Reformers," //Common Dreams,// Jun. 2014.**

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/06/can_california_offer_a_new_mod.html
 * Anthony Cody, "Can California Offer a New Model for Accountability? Or Are We Still Chasing Test Scores?" //EdWeek// blog, Jun. 2014.**

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2014/06/common_core-aligned_tests_and_.html
 * Anthony Cody, "Common Core-Aligned Tests and the New Pearson GED: Failure By Design?" //EdWeek// blog, Jun. 2014.**

//Subtitle: The Fordham law professor who is challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic ticket outlines her concerns about Common Core, and [her] education plan for New York.// http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/07/17/view-zephyr-teachout-common-core/12811213/
 * Zephyr Teachout, "View: Zephyr Teachout on Common Core," //LOHUD: The Journal News,// Jul. 2014.**

http://vigornotrigor.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/cognitive-privilege/
 * John Chase, "Cognitive Privilege," //Wag the Dog// blog, Aug. 2014.**

media type="custom" key="26310132" //The principal of New York's South Side High School talks about how Common Core-aligned assessments in New York frustrated students and inflated achievement gaps. //
 * Carol Burris, "Common Core: The Plane Being Built in the Air," Jun. 2014. **

Check out Susan Ohanian's many exceptional blog posts on the "Common Core State [sic] Standards" here:
http://www.susanohanian.org/core.php

You can find his Curmudgucation blog here:
http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/ //As one example, here is an exceptional and important post by// **Mr. Greene, "Standards and Curriculum,"** **May 2014**//:// http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/05/standards-curriculum.html

Several authors have contributed strong, cogent critiques to Common Core on this page at Medium.com:
https://medium.com/common-core-annoyances

// "Six Powerful Arguments Against Common Core Standards" //
 * Mark Naison, in [|a post to Badass Teachers Association's Facebook page], Oct. 2013:**
 * 1) //CCSS cost money, and takes money away from things that make school enjoyable and exciting like art, music, hands on science, and physical education. Worse yet, the money it removes goes into the hands of for-profit test companies. //
 * 2) //It discriminates against huge groups of children for whom the standards are developmentally inappropriate, especially ELL students, students with special needs, and children growing up in poverty. //
 * 3) //It promotes a one size all approach to curriculum and schools that forecloses investing in vocational and technical programs that we desperately need. //
 * 4) //It will cause local school taxes to rise exponentially after September 2015 when Race to the Top Funds appropriated to support the standards revert to the US Treasury. //
 * 5) //The pressures imposed by rapid, forced imposition of the standards, without debate or discussion, is breaking the spirit of our students and teachers. //
 * 6) //It is causing strife within families as the homework assignments associated with the CORE are ones students have difficulty coping with and most parents are unfamiliar with. //

http://www.workers.org/articles/2014/06/17/profit-tech-corporations-gain-common-core-testing/
 * Betsy Piette, "For-Profit Tech Corporations Gain from Common Core Testing," //Workers World,// Jun. 2014.**

//Excellent use of an extended metaphor to make an important point.// http://atthechalkface.com/2013/05/04/common-core-the-snickers-bar-of-education/
 * Kris Nielsen, "Common Core: The Snickers Bar of Education," //At The Chalk Face// blog, May 2013.**

//A Dialogue With Albert Shanker Institute Executive Director Leo Casey.// http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/24031-why-does-the-obama-administration-keep-getting-it-wrong-on-education-policy
 * Amy B. Dean, "Why Does the Obama Administration Keep Getting It Wrong on Education Policy?" //Truthout,// Jun. 2014.**

//Editor's note: I would amend this to suggest that the problem with CCNS is not *just* the standards...as the standards have problems of their own....// []
 * Chris Guerrieri, "The Problem with Common Core is not the standards," //Chris Guerrieri's Education Matters,// Oct. 2013.**

[]
 * John W. Whitehead, " Common Core: A Lesson Plan for Raising up Compliant, Non-thinking Citizens," //Huffington Post,// Oct. 2013. **

//Includes a section specifically about the lies told regarding the Common Core.// http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2014/07/myths_lies_that_threaten_our_schools_an_interview_with_david_berliner_gene_glass.html?cmp=SOC-EDIT-FB
 * Larry Ferlazzo, David Berliner, Gene Glass, "Myths and Lies that Threaten our Schools," //EdWeek,// Jul. 2014.**

[]
 * The Editors of //Rethinking Schools//, "The Trouble with the Common Core," Summer 2013.**

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/11/07/the-biggest-weakness-of-the-common-core-standards/
 * Marion Brady, "The Biggest Weakness of the Common Core Standards," //Washington Post,// November 2013.**

//In short:// []
 * Marion Brady, "Eight Problems with Common Core Standards," //Washington Post,// August 2012.**
 * 1) // Standards shouldn’t be attached to school subjects, but to the qualities of mind it’s hoped the study of school subjects promotes. //
 * 2) // Clinging to a static strategy in a dynamic world...is a Titanic-deck-chair exercise. //
 * 3) // The CCS assume that what kids need to know is covered by one or another of the traditional core subjects. //
 * 4) // Poverty, the main reason for poor student performance, is being ignored. //
 * 5) // The Common Core kills innovation. //
 * 6) // The Common Core Standards are a set-up for national standardized tests (with details about how and why this is bad). //
 * 7) // The word “standards”...means “performance that meets a standard.” However, the word also means “like everybody else,” and standardizing minds is what the Standards try to do. //
 * 8) // The Common Core Standards’ stated aim — “success in college and careers”— is at best pedestrian, at worst an affront. //

media type="custom" key="24002336" //Despite the rather provocative title, this is a carefully researched presentation with volumes of empirical data to drive its points home. One of its biggest points is that the USA education system is doing a *much* better job than media reports consistently suggest. //
 * "Don't Drink the Common Core Kool-Aid," a presentation**
 * by Christopher Tienken, Ed.D, an assistant professor of **
 * Education Administration at Seton Hall University. **

// A brief (about 22 minute) report with interviews. As the site's synopsis puts it, "'Race to the Top,' which was heralded as Pres. Obama's signature education reform initiative to stimulate competition in schools and spur achievement, has been deemed a failure. A report shows that the promises haven't come close to being fulfilled." // []
 * "Race to the Flop" from Huffington Post Live, Sept 2013.**

http://thecrucialvoice.com/alert/
 * Victoria Young, "Common Core Controversy," //The Crucial Voice of the People// blog, (undated, accessed Jul. 2014). **

//The "College and Career Ready" goal of Common Core is contrasted with the National Institute for Literacy's "Equipped for the Future" applied learning standards.// http://vigornotrigor.wordpress.com/2014/08/17/equipped-for-the-future/
 * John Chase, "Equipped for the Future," //Wag the Dog// blog, Aug. 2014.**

A well-documented expose on the duplicitous development and marketing of CC. (pdf file)
 * "Welcome to the New Common Core Fuzzy Math: CC = Conditions + Coercion + Conflict of Interest."**

[]
 * Alan Singer, "Pearson 'Education": Who Are These People?" Huffington Post, Sept. 2012.**

http://www.girardatlarge.com/2013/10/stop-experimenting-on-my-kids-common-core/
 * Jon DiPietro, "Stop Experimenting on my Kids (Common Core)", Girard at Large blog, Oct. 2013.**

http://nyceducator.com/2013/11/common-core-geniuses-and-our-children.html
 * "Common Core Geniuses and Our Children", NYC Educator blog, Nov. 2013.**

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2013/11/ccss-taking-deep-breath.html
 * Peter Greene, "CCSS: Taking a Deep Breath," //Curmudgucation// blog, Nov. 2013.**

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2014/07/time-political-reporter-flubs-ccss-story.html
 * Peter Greene, "Time Reporter Flubs CCSS Story," //Curmudgucation// blog, Jul. 2014.**

http://eagnews.org/new-york-school-leader-calls-common-core-implementation-a-disaster/
 * Ben Velderman, "New York School Leader Calls Common Core Implementation a Disaster," //EAG News,// Nov. 2013. **

http://curmudgucation.blogspot.com/2013/11/ccss-lowering-bar.html
 * Peter Greene, "CCSS: Lowering the Bar," //Curmudgucation// blog, Nov. 2013. **

//”They’re building the airplane while it’s still in the air. We shouldn’t have to be believing in Common Core curriculum, we should have data. There is NO DATA to back up their claims.” // http://www.girardatlarge.com/2013/11/dr-gary-thompson-destroys-common-core/
 * Dr. Gary Thompson (clinical psychologist) interviewed on //Girard At Large,// WLMW radio (Manchester, NH), Nov. 2013.**

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/25/opinion/ravitch-common-core-standards/index.html?hpt=hp_t4
 * Diane Ravitch, "Why So Many Parents Hate Common Core," //CNN//, Nov. 2013.**

http://ateacheronteaching.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-many-reformers-does-it-take-to.html
 * John Viall, "How Many Reformers Does it Take to Really Fix a School?" //A Teacher on Teaching blog,// Mar. 2013. **

http://missourieducationwatchdog.com/major-admission-by-common-core-proponent-special-needs-students-not-being-addressed-under-common-core/
 * Gretchen Logue, "Major Admission by Common Core Proponent: Special-Needs Students Not Being Addressed Under Common Core," //Missouri Education Watchdog blog,// Nov. 2013. **


 * Sheila Ressenger's oral testimony to the RI Senate Education committee, speaking in support of Senate bills 2158, 2059, and 2135, **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mar. 6, 2014. **

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I was a teacher in the middle school and high school at the RI School for the Deaf for over 25 years before retiring in 2011. I taught English Language Arts through an introduction to Latin, and also developmental reading and writing to our students, many of whom were immigrants from non-English speaking countries. I currently volunteer in an 8th grade English class of ELL students in a Providence middle school, and I see firsthand the poor quality and inappropriateness of the Common Core materials provided for teachers to use. //

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Members of the Committee, we are living in the age of Orwell. The slogans that we are bombarded with mean the opposite of what they say. “No Child Left Behind” has left multitudes of children behind, and “Fewer, Clearer, Higher”—the mantra of the Common Core State Standards—are more, convoluted, and shallower. Children do not develop in lockstep by age. Each child is unique and precious and has a cultural heritage, specific talents and interests, and specific enhancements or obstacles to learning. To expect a rigid amount of progress from every student, no matter where they started or what their unique circumstances, is unrealistic and essentially totalitarian. In the age of Common Core, background information and context are disallowed; the teachable moment—verboten. This is unjustifiable and unacceptable. //

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"It is the duty of public institutions to provide for the public good and also to do no harm. It is clear that the policies of high stakes standardized testing and inflexible standards and assessments do harm. They do harm to all students, by denying them a meaningful, authentic education, but most especially they do harm to those students most vulnerable due to cognitive, neurological, or sensory differences, ELL status, or living in a high poverty neighborhood. //

//<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"To provide a valuable and appropriate education for every child, the Common Core and high-stakes standardized testing must be abandoned. Thank you." //

http://pioneerinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Common-Core-Fact-Sheet_new.pdf
 * Sandra Stotsky (compiler), "Common Core Fact Sheet," //Pioneer Institute,// (pdf file), undated; accessed Mar. 2014.**

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/04/02/jonathan-katz-on-some-problems-of-common-core-mathematics/
 * Jonathan Katz, "Some Problems of Common Core Mathematics," //Diane Ravitch's blog//, Apr. 2014.**

media type="custom" key="25815488"
 * Home School Legal Defense Association's <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #333333; font-family: arial,sans-serif;">"Building the Machine" video, Mar. 2013. **

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/04/20/why-doesnt-the-new-york-times-understand-the-controversy-over-common-core/
 * Diane Ravitch, "Why Doesn't the** **New York Times Understand the Controversy Over Common Core?" Diane Ravitch's blog, Apr. 2014.**

//An astonishing example of advanced journalism, written by a student who had most of her schooling before Common Core was initiated.// http://www.shakerite.com/opinion/2014/04/08/the-craze-and-craziness-behind-the-common-core/#sthash.JnWj6rH7.U1oqznDF.dpbs
 * Abby White (high school student), "The Craze and Craziness Behind the Common Core,"** **The Shakerite (published by Shaker Heights High School, Shaker Heights, OH), Apr. 2014.**

http://newpol.org/content/teachers-teachers-unions-and-%E2%80%9Ccommon-core%E2%80%9D-test
 * Dr. Lois Weiner, "Teachers, Teacher Unions, and the Common Core: This is a Test," ** ** NewPolitics, Apr. 2014. **

http://crazycrawfish.wordpress.com/2014/04/14/some-factual-reasons-to-oppose-common-core/
 * Crazy Crawfish, "Some Factual Reasons to Oppose Common Core,"** **Crazy Crawfish's blog, Apr. 2014.**

http://www.arizonadailyindependent.com/2014/05/12/one-fathers-fight-against-common-cores-excessive-testing/
 * L. Hunnicutt, "One father’s fight against Common Core’s excessive testing," ** ** Arizona Daily Independent, May 2014. **

//One significant omission in Common Core is the teaching of cursive writing.// http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/memory-medic/201303/what-learning-cursive-does-your-brain
 * William R. Klemm, "What Learning Cursive Does for Your Brain," //Psychology Today,// Mar. 2013. **

http://academeblog.org/2014/07/03/standards-versus-students/
 * Aaron Barlow, "Standards vs. Students?" //Academe Blog,// Jul. 2014.**

http://chronicle.com/blogs/letters/common-core-standards-are-the-tip-of-a-corporate-iceberg/
 * Paul Horton, Letter to the Editor: "Common Core Standards are the Tip of a Corporate Iceberg," //Chronicle of Higher Education,// Jun. 2014.**

//As schools phase in Common Core, education industry stands to gain.// http://www.sfreporter.com/santafe/article-8891-core-tragedy.html
 * Joey Peters, "Core Tragedy," //Santa Fe [New Mexico] Reporter,// Jul. 2014.**

http://dianeravitch.net/2014/07/14/pearson-errors-would-you-trust-your-child-to-this-corporation/
 * Diane Ravitch, "Pearson Errors: Would You Trust Your Child to This Corporation?" //Diane Ravitch's blog,// Jul. 2014.**

//The Fordham law professor who is challenging Gov. Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic ticket outlines her concerns about Common Core, and her education plan for New York.// http://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/07/17/view-zephyr-teachout-common-core/12811213/
 * Zephyr Teachout, "View: Zephyr Teachout on Common Core," //LOHUD Journal News,// Jul.2014.**

http://www.labornotes.org/2014/07/interview-teacher-decodes-common-core
 * Samantha Winslow, "Interview: Teacher [Ingrid Walker-Henry] Decodes Common Core," Labor Notes, Jul. 2014.**

//Spoiler alert: What's missing is joy, and that is not an acronym.// http://www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_view/reader-view-there-s-something-missing-in-our-classrooms/article_4cc95e8f-cff5-5919-b7f1-a6e7734c2b5c.html?mode=jqm#.U92a68S2J2w.facebook
 * Todd Hansen, "Reader View: There's Something Missing in our Classrooms," //Santa Fe New Mexican,// Jan. 2014.**

Article Critical of Math CCNS
**Shane Vander Hart, "Lead Writer Jason Zimba Admits Common Core Math Standards Weakness," //FightCommonCore.com,// Sep. 2014.** http://fightcommoncore.com/lead-writer-jason-zimba-admits-common-core-math-standards-weakness/