View Full Version : Please educate me on FACTS about Common Core.
Straight Shooter
03-10-14, 12:04
Gents- been hearing a lot lately on this Common Core stuff. I know next to nothing at all factual about it except conservatives hate it...libs love it. That, in and of itself is reason enough for me to be suspicious of it, and I am. I like to be as educated and up to snuff on a subject as possible when talking about it.
I DID do a search, found the CC website, and read Wiki on it. I still cannot get a feel for EXCACTLY whats good/bad about it. A couple things did stand out..doesn't teach cursive writing, nor social studies.
So, I DO NOT want to hear baseless opinion, or anything political or bullshit about "Obama". Just those of you who have kids in this, or who have opted out of it, or know anything factual about it, Id love to hear what you have to say about it.
Thanks for any info!
Mauser KAR98K
03-10-14, 12:26
From my understanding and what the "goal" is is to help with critical thinking skills. Even if answers are factually wrong, it is trying to get the kids to understand how they arrived at their conclusion, and hopefully see the error in the logic. I have been one of the proponents to get more critical thinking skills into the classroom rather than sitting and learning facts that kids can regurgitate. Facts are great, but if you can't articulate and put some logic behind it with at least an informed opinion, then what good are the facts.
The problem I have with Common Core is that the critical thinking skills are propping up the Liberal "emotional" agenda rather than the logic. My niece has come to me saying that they learned a lot about Islam one year. I asked her if it was all good, and she said yes. Asked about 9/11 and said it wasn't brought up. There is a Common Core video called China Rising that stirs chills. Some facts are really suppressed.
Just like No Child Left Behind. Cool idea, until used.
I'll add this video on "Common Core" and a comment… My wive's 3 best friends are all school teachers, all have their Masters in Education, in Upstate, NY. The opinion that Common Core is bullshit is mirrored by all 3 of them. A small sampling, but one that I trust implicitly.
http://youtu.be/DW0VxxoCrNo
montanadave
03-10-14, 13:09
So what's so ****ed up about what the gal's saying in the video? It's not like she's saying the kid got the right answer or isn't correcting them. The goal is to teach the kids why the answer is correct and have the ability to explain how they derived the answer rather than just rote memorization of multiplication tables.
polymorpheous
03-10-14, 13:10
It brings the smart kids down to a "common" level.
Leveling the playing field.
That's my take on it at least.
So what's so ****ed up about what the gal's saying in the video? It's not like she's saying the kid got the right answer or isn't correcting them. The goal is to teach the kids why the answer is correct and have the ability to explain how they derived the answer rather than just rote memorization of multiplication tables.
The new standards don't accurately teach processes. They teach methods to game the answer. At least at the elementary level.
It is another case of a great idea made terrible by government intervention.
The idea is that we should teach critical thinking. You should not just know that 25-17=8. But you should also know WHY 25-17=8. It makes a lot of the math problems that you see look strange compared to what we had in middle school and lower level high school math. However it should lead to a better understanding of the subjects at hand.
Notice I say should...
What it really does is lead to more "teaching the test" much like no child left behind. It also takes a national view at education and ignores that different parts of the country face different challenges when it comes to education.
Straight Shooter
03-10-14, 14:46
Are there ANY positive aspects of Common Core? I mean, anything that is pretty much agreed by all sides to be right about it?
Also...who invented or started it?
polymorpheous
03-10-14, 15:08
Lynne Munson founded Common Core.
An article she penned in 2007.
http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2007/07/26/munson
It brings the smart kids down to a "common" level.
Leveling the playing field.
That's my take on it at least.
There are no losers and everyone gets a trophy.
FlyingHunter
03-10-14, 21:17
It's about money and control. Federal influence over local educational decisions. The Feds dangle the funding carrot, evaluate whether your state/local educational delivery meets their approval, if so - you get funding. If not, well the economy can be tough these days, right?
Let’s start with the money. The money is always the carrot that the federal government offers the states.
The money trail for Common Core begins in 2009, with the passage of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, commonly called the Stimulus Bill. Among the bill’s many provisions was a $53.6 billion appropriation to the U.S. Department of Education, called the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund. Of that amount, $4.35 billion was set aside for the Race to the Top initiative.
States had to access the funds in a prescribed order. First was the Stabilization fund program.
In order to receive these funds, states had to assure the federal government that they would adopt “rigorous college and career ready standards.” The elements of the standards were dictated by the federal government in the America COMPETES Act, and as part of their application for Stabilization funds the states had to sign an assurance page that specifically required them to align their state programs to the language of that federal law.
The Stabilization funds were awarded in two phases, with states submitting an application outlining their plans to adopt the standards to receive the first phase, and then submitting a progress report showing that they were actually completing those plans in order to receive the second phase of their Stabilization grant. The U.S. Department of Education had to approve each state’s plan before Phase Two funds were awarded, effectively giving the federal government control over each state’s education programs.
Reference:
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/faq.pdf
States who had successfully completed the Stabilization grant process could then compete for Race to the Top funds.
Google up the change to SAT tests and who is in charge and how he is related to common core and how it's going to effect things for many who do not believe in common core
Straight Shooter
03-11-14, 06:48
Wow..EXCELLENT INFO gentlemen...Ive got lots of reading to do when I get off work. Thank you all so much. Its looking like it is as I suspected...another bunch of lib bullshit that's gonna do more harm than good, to our children AND nation.
It's about money and control. Federal influence over local educational decisions. The Feds dangle the funding carrot, evaluate whether your state/local educational delivery meets their approval, if so - you get funding. If not, well the economy can be tough these days, right?
F'n excellent summary. Do you mind if I use most of that?
From what I've been told by friends who are teachers here in CA, the way it works in the classroom is this:
Today I teach lesson 2.1, which is how to add single digits, 2+5, the book gives me 5 examples to teach the kids and that is it. Tomorrow I will teach lesson 2.2, addition of double digits, 45+53, again with just 5 examples. So on and so forth.
The problem with that I'm told is many teachers don't expand beyond what the book has, they teach those 5 examples and that's that, add in the teachers who got hired on with no teaching credentials during the mad rush of No Child Left Behind, they don't know how to effectively teach. But then you have the students who if they don't grasp one lesson, they are doomed as everything builds on it and the teacher is not allowed to take longer than specified in the books on each lesson, so if little Johnny failed to grasp how to multiply 2 by 6 then there is no way he is going to understand 34*46 when it is taught the very next day.
montanadave
03-11-14, 10:12
Kids aren't widgets and trying to teach kids like you assemble cars is only going to work if you decide that it's OK to leave some percentage of kids behind and completely snuff out the intellectual promise of the most gifted.
As harsh as it sounds, we spend far too much money trying to bring the challenged kids up to speed as opposed to using some of those resources to enable the truly gifted to soar.
From my understanding and what the "goal" is is to help with critical thinking skills. Even if answers are factually wrong, it is trying to get the kids to understand how they arrived at their conclusion, and hopefully see the error in the logic. I have been one of the proponents to get more critical thinking skills into the classroom rather than sitting and learning facts that kids can regurgitate. Facts are great, but if you can't articulate and put some logic behind it with at least an informed opinion, then what good are the facts.
The problem I have with Common Core is that the critical thinking skills are propping up the Liberal "emotional" agenda rather than the logic. My niece has come to me saying that they learned a lot about Islam one year. I asked her if it was all good, and she said yes. Asked about 9/11 and said it wasn't brought up. There is a Common Core video called China Rising that stirs chills. Some facts are really suppressed.
Just like No Child Left Behind. Cool idea, until used.
Basic critical thinking skills teaching should be mandatory as part of the teaching curriculum (but I don't know enough about CC to comment on that). It will produce people able to question what they are taught and learn to work through what they hear and see and see if it holds water. The problem is, many fail to understand it is a learned skill, like language, or math, etc. and even educators by and large don't appreciate that. It may be more natural for some than others to apply some critical thinking to a topic, but no one is simply born with it. It's a mental process and skill that needs to be learned and honed, and I can think of very few mental skills that would be more beneficial overall than teaching from a young age that skill set they can apply to everything in their lives. First college I went to, a rec for all students to graduate was a basic course on critical thinking called (aptly) Critical Thinking 101. I didn't appreciate at the time (being a snot nosed kid) that it was an important concept it was, but I came to realize it should be taught as early as possible. This vid does a nice job of summing the basic essential concept I thought:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6OLPL5p0fMg
Many consider themselves as "critical thinkers" when their comments show nothing of the sort.
I have first hand experience with the failures of "Everyday Mathematics", which is tied into the whole Core thing, but came out before the whole Common Core wave hit. I actually removed my children from our local elementary school and ended up homeschooling them over it. My kids would come home with homework that included long division before they had been introduced to multiple number multiplication. The entire process was so convoluted that it made it impossible for them to master mathematics. If there is one benchmark of elementary education that should not ever disappear, it would be the mastery of basic mathematics; addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
From what I've been told by friends who are teachers here in CA, the way it works in the classroom is this:
Today I teach lesson 2.1, which is how to add single digits, 2+5, the book gives me 5 examples to teach the kids and that is it. Tomorrow I will teach lesson 2.2, addition of double digits, 45+53, again with just 5 examples. So on and so forth.
The problem with that I'm told is many teachers don't expand beyond what the book has, they teach those 5 examples and that's that, add in the teachers who got hired on with no teaching credentials during the mad rush of No Child Left Behind, they don't know how to effectively teach. But then you have the students who if they don't grasp one lesson, they are doomed as everything builds on it and the teacher is not allowed to take longer than specified in the books on each lesson, so if little Johnny failed to grasp how to multiply 2 by 6 then there is no way he is going to understand 34*46 when it is taught the very next day.
I am all for critical thinking; who isn't?? "We" have been teaching critical thinking for decades and centuries, but it seems to me that the parents have more to do with this than the school system. That's where I learned my ability (or inability) to critically think and think through problems....maybe reinforced by a couple awesome key teachers here and there.
We homeschool so I don't have a dog in the fight, but it seems to me that there are better ways to do this.
RancidSumo
03-11-14, 12:53
I don't know much about Common Core but from what I've seen, it looks even worse than the crap I had to go through. If I had my way, there would be very little left of the curriculum from K-12. They need to focus on being a good learner, not memorizing facts.
To touch on something in your OP, dropping cursive and penmanship is one of the worst ideas our school system has had in a long time. I learned the basics in 1st grade and have had to teach myself the rest. I'd probably just throw anything I got from my peers that is handwritten away before I'd attempt to decipher their scribbles.
Also, as other posters have mentioned, math is an extremely important skill. It teaches critical thinking more than anything else short of formal logic instruction. I like some of the thought behind trying to break it down into fundamental steps but they are going about it all wrong. I've taken more math than probably 95% of the population and from that experience I can say for a fact that it is something we don't need the government trying to change. For the most part, math instruction is the way it is for a reason.
FlyingHunter
03-11-14, 18:11
F'n excellent summary. Do you mind if I use most of that?
Thanks. Help yourself.
ramairthree
03-11-14, 20:00
Aside from agenda issues,
it is based on a fallacy.
Memorization of facts, under time constraints,
and the regurgitation of them under stress- testing,
is the foundation of higher learning.
Then they move on to the syncing facts, relating knowledge, applying problem solving, and critical thinking.
Lots of people don't get past the foundation,
so education gets slammed for not producing critical thinkers.
The fact is some people do so naturally, and some more can be trained.
Not everyone can be a critical thinker.
Even less will be when they go straight to it without a foundation to build on.
The naturals and bright people will pull through as they always have no matter how bad the education system, but we will lose out on those that could have been potentially trained.
This program is feel good BS that we are going to train a bunch of geniuses out of everybody when they can't do the basics.
It is like thinking your military is going to be better by giving everyone berets or your LEA more high speed by giving them the same kit as a Tier 1 unit.
Many of us have grand parents that barely made it past grade school. Buy they could read the newspaper, balance their checkbook, and had some Algebra, Latin, and Classics under their belt. To this day they can cut, measure, and do multiplication and division in their heads based on wrote memorization when they were like 8 years old.
The boomers took over the education system, because they knew so much better than their parents,
and now we have a few decades of HS graduates wasting tax dollars to go to college, where they take basic English and Algebra that used to be junior high and freshman stuff before dropping out- school still gets the money. Some graduate. Yay.
Now we have even more feel good stuff that is great esteem and agendas, but won't cut it.
It is "better" now because such a higher percentage of kids graduate HS and college. Vs there used to be less graduates but more people were functionally and mathematically literate.
If the nation was serious about education, it would focus on the best and the brightest, each month would be testing that ability grouped, each level would be tailored to the group. This produced adults that can tell you that for that sized river, with this percentage waste heat production in this nuc plant, for this gross power production, raising this percentage of water flow that many degrees, goes back to the river, with an overall temp increase of x, meaning the trout breath 2 more respirations a minute at the temperature but will be perfectly fine.
Right now we import of shitload of adults like that because we don't produce enough from population demographics capable of producing a surplus.
But, at least the guy who never had more potential than dancing in front of a mattress store in a mascot outfit will feel good about himself while he goes to school. .
Lots of opinions here.
"Common core" is exactly that--an attempt to specify what material a student should master by grade level and subject. It's an excellent idea that will probably be screwed up by bureaucracy. It's not centered around creative thinking or a liberal agenda.
It's neither good nor bad in and of itself; it's entirely dependent on execution.
Bad teachers hate it because they risk being held accountable. Many experienced (read older) good teachers don't like it because they're already doing a good job, yet they'll have to re-do a lot of lesson plans that they haven't had to touch for years.
What I like about it is it's causing those of us in the field of education to re-examine what we're doing and why.
RancidSumo
03-11-14, 22:44
Bulk memorization is absolutely not the foundation of higher learning. It is a crutch for shitty teachers. Obviously, memorizing some things is necessary in order to move on but STEM education should never try to use it as a base. Students should learn methods and ways of thinking about the problems. The memorization will come with practice, it doesn't need to be forced.
Maybe you were talking about history degrees or something. That is the only way I could possibly agree with you.
Tangential to this thread, as someone who made the transition to teaching later in middle age, teaching--when done right--is *hard*.
Yes, there are some wackadoodles in the profession, and these folks always seem to make the news, but in my limited experience the vast majority of teachers and educators are doing their best to prepare the overstimulated, oversexed, and under-parented youth of America for success.
There are days in the classroom when I wish I was back in Iraq or Afghanistan...
montanadave
03-12-14, 10:52
Tangential to this thread, as someone who made the transition to teaching later in middle age, teaching--when done right--is *hard*.
Yes, there are some wackadoodles in the profession, and these folks always seem to make the news, but in my limited experience the vast majority of teachers and educators are doing their best to prepare the overstimulated, oversexed, and under-parented youth of America for success.
There are days in the classroom when I wish I was back in Iraq or Afghanistan...
Thanks for a positive report from somebody on the "front lines." And thank you for your service . . . both in the military and in the classroom.
I don't know ya from Adam, but I suspect you do a fine job and your students are lucky to have you.
Straight Shooter
03-12-14, 15:41
Me too.
ramairthree
03-12-14, 17:24
Bulk memorization is absolutely not the foundation of higher learning. It is a crutch for shitty teachers. Obviously, memorizing some things is necessary in order to move on but STEM education should never try to use it as a base. Students should learn methods and ways of thinking about the problems. The memorization will come with practice, it doesn't need to be forced.
Maybe you were talking about history degrees or something. That is the only way I could possibly agree with you.
Nope.
I was talking about all learning.
A fund of knowledge is the foundation for higher level performance.
It is fine with me if you do not agree.
morbidbattlecry
03-12-14, 19:39
I don't know a whole lot about how it's supposed to work. But i know personally a few teachers. And liberal and conservative are not happy with it at all. I'm getting from them that they want to be left alone to teach.
... And liberal and conservative are not happy with it at all.
Isn't that the definition of a compromise? An agreement where no one is happy?
platoonDaddy
03-25-14, 12:42
About time someone had the balls to step up to the plate:
Open the floodgates? Indiana becomes first state to scrap Common Core
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/03/25/indiana-becomes-first-state-to-drop-common-core-standards/
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/21/middle-school-workbook-reportedly-includes-what-could-be-the-most-outrageous-definition-of-the-second-amendment-yet/
I am all for critical thinking; who isn't?? "We" have been teaching critical thinking for decades and centuries, but it seems to me that the parents have more to do with this than the school system. That's where I learned my ability (or inability) to critically think and think through problems....maybe reinforced by a couple awesome key teachers here and there.
We homeschool so I don't have a dog in the fight, but it seems to me that there are better ways to do this.
I learned most of my critical thinking skills in elementary school. I had one class in college called thinking outside the box that was very helpful though.
Eurodriver
03-25-14, 18:13
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zOsDTNgDVwM4ydZ2_Njjtg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQwMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/lifestyles/2014-03-25/8ef7c930-b44a-11e3-84f5-9547b2943d40_commoncorephoto.png
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/common-core-parent-facebook-post-indiana-school-181841158.html
Belmont31R
03-25-14, 19:26
Thankfully Texas doesn't have it as this only makes education worse. We already have standardized tests which are a failure. Teachers will tell you they have little academic freedom because of these tests they have to teach to which becomes the new metric by which they are judged. We have tests here a majority of students fail and it just goes on and on. We were told privately to discount entire sections of the results because they're so convoluted they don't make sense to math majors. Common Core just further convolutes basic skills.
http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zOsDTNgDVwM4ydZ2_Njjtg--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NTt3PTQwMA--/http://l.yimg.com/os/publish-images/lifestyles/2014-03-25/8ef7c930-b44a-11e3-84f5-9547b2943d40_commoncorephoto.png
http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/common-core-parent-facebook-post-indiana-school-181841158.html
That has been floating around social media and I think it's complete bullshit (the letter the parent wrote).
I have limited experience with Common Core; mostly from my Conservative friends who have children enrolled in it and "don't like it."
To me, it is plain as day what that question was asking the student to do. It's a math trick that can explain what is happening during the process, not just what the answer is. If that parent is as smart as he says he is, it should be pretty easy for him to figure out. I solved the concept in about 30 seconds, and that was without a teacher at the front of the room lecturing me about it.
Now, none of that means I "support" Common Core. Anything that divides the Left and Right probably has some truth in the middle.
One question I have been asking, without a solid answer yet: Is there data proving the success or failure of CC vs "old" methods? Is it still experimental and too early to have such data? If so, why wasn't it vetted before being rolled out nation wide? Or (and I'm betting this is likely) has the grading scale changed to make it appear Common Core is doing the right thing?
Based on the math alone, I don't see a major issue with it. I was never great at math, and CC teaches "tricks" that I had to learn on my own to be able to solve it. I'm very much a visual learner, and being able to "see" what is happening helped me when I was younger. Many of my friends said they use the same tricks, and some of them are much smarter than I am, so I don't feel like these techniques are out in left field.
platoonDaddy
03-26-14, 16:54
That has been floating around social media and I think it's complete bullshit (the letter the parent wrote).
Very interesting reply: do you know anyone or have a love one who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) AND let alone in 2nd grade? If not you should spend some time walking in the shoes of love ones whom have a child with those attributes.
As and old man, I would take:
7 minus 6 is 1
2 minus 1 is 1
4 minus 3 is 1
Yep, I would complete the answer in three steps.
Why complicate to 10 friggin steps?
My fellow forum member, we are our worst enemies.
Very interesting reply: do you know anyone or have a love one who has Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) AND let alone in 2nd grade? If not you should spend some time walking in the shoes of love ones whom have a child with those attributes.
As and old man, I would take:
7 minus 6 is 1
2 minus 1 is 1
4 minus 3 is 1
Yep, I would complete the answer in three steps.
Why complicate to 10 friggin steps?
My fellow forum member, we are our worst enemies.
Where does ASD come into this?
He has a point. I don't agree with him completely but his point is valid. As I stated in an earlier post, we need to be teaching why math works the way it does, not just that it does. Just teaching that 5+5=10 doesn't really help in a post industrial world. Critical thinking, deductive reasoning, and an understanding of the processes is a must if we are to regain any standing in education. That was actually one of the original ideals behind CC. It just went off the rails as most every government program does.
platoonDaddy
03-26-14, 17:53
Where does ASD come into this?
The "Frustrated Parent" son is in 2nd grade with ASD.
The "Frustrated Parent" son is in 2nd grade with ASD.
Ahh ok. I was not aware of that.
I do not however feel that it changes the facts of the letter. If we are going to teach critical thinking we need to do it right.
"I took these two items, and these two items, and now have five items."
If at any point, using any explanation, that is considered a full credit answer, I'm not Ok with Common Core. Honestly, I don't care if Ronald Reagan, Bush Jr. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington conceptualized, and implemented it.
"I took these two items, and these two items, and now have five items."
If at any point, using any explanation, that is considered a full credit answer, I'm not Ok with Common Core. Honestly, I don't care if Ronald Reagan, Bush Jr. Thomas Jefferson and George Washington conceptualized, and implemented it.
I think that sums it up well.
The politicization of issues causes more problems in this country than anything else. We have become conditioned to disagree with anything the other side says. Common core is just a more recent example of it. republicans oppose it so democrats will defend it to the bitter end no matter the facts. Both sides are guilty of it.
Life can be pretty hard. It's going to be infinitely harder on those people who were never taught that a wrong answer is usually not going to f-ing cut it. I simply can't name a single tangible skill, or profession, where someone can give a best answer that is actually wrong - and remain employed.
Politician? Psychiatrist?
Straight Shooter
03-27-14, 06:42
I CAN SHIVAN....A POLITICIAN.
The "Frustrated Parent" son is in 2nd grade with ASD.
Assuming that someone reading that letter would know this is as backwards as you claim CC to be.
Since you seem to have some background on this situation; can the child in question function with the "old" method?
platoonDaddy
03-27-14, 18:00
Assuming that someone reading that letter would know this is as backwards as you claim CC to be.
Since you seem to have some background on this situation; can the child in question function with the "old" method?
That is a very good question and I can't answer that. I learned his son was ASD when his father was interviewed and volunteered that fact.
platoonDaddy
03-28-14, 12:20
Missouri elementary teacher Susan Kimball testified before the Missouri Senate Education Committee that she has been threatened and bullied for her opposition to Common Core.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JLc_hqVoUuc Kindergarten teacher
EDIT: But many parents see the initiative as a bid by the federal government to take over the education system. They are also angry over the "data mining" of students' personal information, and say the stepped-up standards are not age-appropriate and are leading to anxiety and depression in their children.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/29/common-core-emerges-as-potent-election-issue-for-fed-up-parents/
montanadave
03-28-14, 12:41
Education of our young, our children, the future of our great nation, is a subject which has always engendered passionate debate. However, I think it's always helpful to remember the noteworthy goals which these efforts strive to achieve.
Comprehensive elementary education is the foundation for these kinds of scholarly expositions: a college essay written by a University of North Carolina student on an athletic scholarship, for which he earned a grade of A-. From tiny acorns doth mighty oaks grow.
"Rosa Parks: My Story"
On the evening of December Rosa Parks decided that she was going to sit in the white people section on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. During this time blacks had to give up there seats to whites when more whites got on the bus. Rosa parks refused to give up her seat. Her and the bus driver began to talk and the conversation went like this. "Let me have those front seats" said the driver. She didn't get up and told the driver that she was tired of giving her seat to white people. "I'm going to have you arrested," said the driver. "You may do that," Rosa Parks responded. Two white policemen came in and Rosa Parks asked them "why do you all push us around?" The police officer replied and said "I don't know, but the law is the law and you're under arrest." (http://www.businessinsider.com/unc-athlete-essay-on-rosa-parks-gets-a-minus-2014-3)
Dare to dream, people. Dare to dream.
Grand58742
05-06-14, 12:34
Yea Common Core!
http://ktla.com/2014/05/05/rialto-assignment-asking-to-students-to-question-holocaust-to-be-revised/#axzz30xQBoDCy
The Rialto school district planned to revise an eighth-grade assignment that raised red flags by asking students to consider arguments about whether the Holocaust — the systematic killing by the Nazis of some 6 million Jews and millions of others — was not an “actual event” but instead a “propaganda tool that was used for political and monetary gain.” The 18-page assignment instructions included three sources that students were told to use, including one that stated gassings in concentration camps were a “hoax” and that no evidence has shown Jews died in gas chambers.
“With all this money at stake for Israel, it is easy to comprehend why this Holocaust hoax is so secretly guarded,” states the source, which is a attributed to a webpage on biblebelievers.org.au. “In whatever way you can, please help shatter this profitable myth. It is time we stop sacrificing America’s welfare for the sake of Israel and spend our hard-earned dollars on Americans.”
“ADL [Anti-Defamation League] does not have any evidence that the assignment was given as part of a larger, insidious, agenda,” the blog post read. “Rather, the district seems to have given the assignment with an intent, although misguided, to meet Common Core standards relating to critical learning skills.”
So about that critical thinking thing...
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.