Getting Started: Beginning the Home Education Adventure.Stories and Tales From Around the World.In the meantime, share your thoughts and opinions. Will there continue to be a forced implementation amid protests from parents and educators? Will more states work toward repealing Common Core? Will schools receive the resources and training needed to make the standards work?Īs the story continues to unfold, we will keep monitoring the ebb and flow of support and opposition for the standards. When looking back on the past year, it’s hard not to wonder about the fate of the Common Core standards. Some educators feel that such a rating system is needed, as teachers continue to report that their curricula do not align with the new standards. Recently, the nonprofit organization (funded by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) announced that its free online reviews of commonly used print and online instructional materials, including textbooks, will now include ratings, similar to those used by Consumer Reports, that assess to what degree the materials are aligned with Common Core. Meanwhile, opposition notwithstanding, Common Core developments also continue. “Personalized curriculum to support students that are at different levels in different subjects is a huge demand,” Wells said. The homeschool market “predominantly prefers a non–Common Core curriculum,” mainly driven by the belief that each child’s ability to learn is unique. “We often receive emails from parents saying, ‘I’m so glad to hear you are not Common Core!’ ” said Sheri Wells, Discovery K12 founder and developer. The company is undertaking a print and digital marketing campaign to support the line. As information about Common Core spread, many publishers began marketing their titles as “Common Core aligned.” Now, some companies have identified another growing, but mostly untapped market: parents are seeking curriculums and materials that do not correlate to the Common Core standards.ĭiscovery K12, an online K–12 homeschool platform and curriculum, announced the release of its non–Common Core curriculum in August. The publishing industry is also responding to the demand for homeschooling resources and curriculums. The co-op is able to procure educational discounts by “combining the purchasing power of thousands of homeschooling families around the country.” The Homeschool Buyers Co-op is a prime example of this power. Publishers have taken note-these parents represent substantial collective buying power. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics, the number of homeschooled students grew by almost 300,000 since the previous report in 2007. The homeschooling movement now seems poised to become a force in education policy debates. And PBS Newshour recently aired a story about parents in Louisiana who have turned to homeschooling while state legislators battle in court over the fate of the Common Core there. In Oklahoma, homeschooling parents were integral to the successful effort to repeal the standards. In recent months, homeschooling parents have organized they represent an influential camp in the campaign against Common Core-and their voices are being heard. Parents are also making their opinions of the standards known, and many are turning to homeschooling as an alternative to public education. Notably, a majority of teachers supported the standards when polled just one year earlier by the National Education Association, although some expressed reservations about the lack of funding, training, and support needed to prepare for implementation. The survey found that 60% of Americans oppose “requiring teachers in their community to use the Common Core State Standards.” Another poll conducted in spring 2014 by the journal Education Next shows growing opposition among teachers. The results show that awareness about the standards is on the rise, but support for them has crumbled. A year later, a full-blown controversy has erupted over implementation of the standards, and the future remains uncertain.Ī general malaise about the Common Core has been confirmed by the results of a recent PDK/Gallup poll that surveyed American attitudes toward public education. One year ago this month, in September 2013, we opened our inaugural PW column with a look at the myths and realities that surround the Common Core State Standards.
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