Four Lessons Science Of Reading Supporters Can Learn From Common Core
From Forbes.com
Bills mandating the “Science of Reading” have been passing left and right across the nation.
While some, like the Pennsylvania bill that passed 201-0, provide gentle nudging and support, others, like Indiana’s law, provide strict mandates on what teaching techniques are required and which are forbidden. And that’s a bad idea.
America has seen this movie before.
A bipartisan collection of political leaders, concerned about improving America’s education system, came together to mandate certain education practices, based on the recommendations from advocates located far from actual classrooms. The result was a contentious and controversial mess that did not seem to actually make things a bit better.
That was Common Core. “Science of Reading” fans would do well to learn a few lessons.
Brand identity
Despite widespread discussion, Common Core meant many different things to many different people. The group that wrote the standards disbanded and did not stick around to answer questions (of which there were many). Common Core the brand was open to anyone’s interpretation. This left businesses free to claim their materials were “Common Core aligned” without fear of contradiction.
Always insightful. I would also say that this is a mixing of business, politics, and education, and the massive education consulting industry ends up winning out more than anyone