Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Common Core State Standards is a nationalized curriculum for education within the United States. Also referred to as the “College and Career Readiness Standards”, it was made to define what and how students should learn math and language arts from kindergarten to twelfth grade to “best” prepare them for the future. These standards have been adopted in 45 states, four territories, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity.
A nation where one educational standard, created by the best and brightest, has long been dreamed of by educators. Who wouldn’t want a world where every student has the same curriculum, homework, reading and lessons? The problem is that this “one size fits all” standard places emphasis on the wrong educational goals and fundamentally challenges individual rights, local control, school choice and federalism. Especially with the desire to track students from Kindergarten onward. Although partially funded by tax dollars, the Common Core State Standards were written during meetings exclusive of the general public, creating a severe lack of trust. As a result of the mass implementation of Common Core Education, parents have taken their children out of public school and opted for private and homeschooling education.
The Greatest Problem with Common Core Education
Of all the problems with Common Core, perhaps the greatest problem is the worldview standard it is tied to. It is certainly not a Biblical one.
One of the core goals of education is the pursuit of truth. As Christians, we know that truth can only be fully known in Christ. Jesus Himself said “If you hold to my teaching, you are really disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:31-31, ESV). This core goal of pursuing the truth found only in Christ is certainly not found in the Common Core Education. In fact, the curriculum is driven by the same philosophies driving the culture today – statism, moral relativism, and progressivism. Godly students require godly educators and godly educators require godly educational standards. Jesus told us of the wise man who built his house on the rock, and the unwise one who built his on sand. Building your child’s education on a common core, is building on sand (Matthew 7:24-27).
The Shift Common Core Education Produces
Universal public education really took off among educational leaders in the mid-19th century. Previously, local communities set their own educational standards and hired and fired their own teachers, even though there was still an agreed-upon education such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, for thousands of years, the traditional view of education was to cultivate wise and virtuous citizens who could be developed into leaders of themselves, their families and their communities. What is Common Core Curriculum essentially? It’s an educational shift from the pursuit of truth (God) and leadership to the pursuit of a “good job”.
