There's Definitely A Fight Ahead: Going Beyond the Common Core

While hiking yesterday, I listened to National Writing Project colleagues, Mary Warner and Jonathan Lovell - both of San Jose State University, discuss their Pearson publication Teaching Writing Grades 7-12 in an Era of Assessment: Passion and Practice on NWP radio.

I found Chapter 6 of the text, "Bringing Heart to the Research Process: The I-Search Paper," to be the most interesting. Both the writing and the radio show highlighted, rather incredibly, the authentic work that arrives when young people are given the freedom to show proficiency through following their hearts and interests with inquiry and the use of multiple writing genres.

The Chapter reminded me of the small contribution I made in Teaching the New Writing: Technology, Change, and Assessment in the 21st-Century Classroom while still in the classroom. This, of course, was before the State of Kentucky removed portfolios from their accountability system and new administration frowned upon the type of work that mattered to kids (yes, my students and I published, but no, it was viewed as a distraction from test-only instruction). I 'saw the writing on the wall' (or lack thereof, pun intended). If I stayed in the classroom trying to do the best work with preparing students for college and careers, my life would be made miserable. Such work couldn't be done in schools policed for the results on a single test that was given tremendous power to trump everything else.  Once upon a time our school was successful because we taught beyond the test, but there were others who reprimanded any of us who didn't spend every day working in test-prep alone. A REAL teacher, anyone who has ever taught and been successful with students, can assure that the worst way to educate a child is through test-only instruction. Research backs me up on this.

And so, I loved reading Brandy Appling-Jenson, Kathleen Gonzalez and Carolyn Anzia's contribution to the book, but wondered, "How many teachers are allowed to implement incredible work within the reality of the Common Core and the assessments yet to come?"  Administrators, trapped from leading effectively because the are forced to be watchdogs, will go after teachers to follow a script that is forced up our schools by the political regime above them. It's tied to funding...they have to.

Jonathan Lovell remarked that there's a tremendous battle ahead, especially because corporate interests are aligned with the Common Core and pre-packaged programs are already being mandated in school districts. The veteran teacher, though, will attest, "This will never work."

It won't.

Yet Superintendents and districts will continue to buy garbage because that is what they do - strange. Teachers will burn out. The worst effect, however, will be the negative ways it impacts kids. Ask any parent who has a child in school right now and they will tell you what the test-frenzy approach is doing to kids. It makes them hate school, hate learning, and feel horrible about themselves.

I appreciated Teaching Writing Grades 7-12 in an Era of Assessment: Passion and Practice on NWP radio because, once again, the teachers who contributed to the publication went beyond-the-call-of-duty to share expertise from lived classroom experience. They are professionals and insightful because they are in classrooms everyday. Why, then, would schools be forced to listen to any one else who has never had a vetted interest in educating youth? Yes, their analogy of an outside expert (read: politician, CEO, businessman) telling a mechanic with years of experience how to run his auto shop is apropos. Actually, it's ridiculous. The mechanic is the one working on the car.

Yet, that's where we are in the field. Instead of teachers teaching teachers, teachers are being forced to listen to the snake oil salesmen.

And that is why teachers everywhere need to unite and WRITE back. If they don't take control of the Common Core coming their way, others will.

In fact, they already have.