Category Archives: Common Core

Common Core Pushing Governor: We Need More Truck Drivers

Posted on September 28, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

This past Thursday, NC Governor Pat McCrory made some interesting statements regarding our kids future careers while taking a stab at lawyers and journalists. The Governor said we need more truck drivers.

No, really.

KEEP READING… Continue reading →

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NC Public Schools Forum Cites Common Core Tied Group On Skill Gaps

Posted on September 27, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

In my inbox, the narrative that the U.S. and NC are behind the world continues to rage.
Common Core peddling NC Public Schools Forum had this update (down below) in it’s most recent newsletter.

Note that American Institutes for Research (AIR) stands to gain a lot financially with the continued push of Common Core. They are deep into the testing side of Common Core, which has been highly lucrative for SBAC, PARCC and Pearson.

Funny how a Vice President from AIR is now in charge of reviewing NCLB waivers. Keep that in mind when you read what AIR says about the states having control over their own standards being ‘fundamentally flawed’. I smell a NCLB trap for states trying to get out of Common Core.

Oh yeah — AIR has also received over $37 million from the Bill Gates Foundation.

Here’s the update:

KEEP READING… Continue reading →

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A Response To Public Schools First’s Common Core Propaganda Piece

Posted on September 27, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

I found this article at the Common Core pushing Public Schools First NC site linking to my site. In the article, they quote me on Common Core:

2. and 3. “The standards are dumbing down the kids”/ “The standards are too hard for the kids”


According to Glenn Beck’s website, “Many teachers, educators, and parents believe Common Core is dumbing down America’s children.” At the same time, some find the standards too hard. In a piece for WUNC, Reema Khrais featured parent Andrea Dillon who “says Common Core is not developmentally appropriate for her son. ‘Just for an example, they’re doing persuasive writing pieces in first-grade where he has to have an opening sentence, three supporting sentences and a closing argument for a text he’s read, and he has to do that on his own – he’s seven,’ she said.”

So which is it? Too simple or too difficult?

All due respect, it’s both.
The authors is gonna hurt herself trying to make parents, teachers and students who have proven this look dumb.

Teaching kids the finer points of the English language in K-3 instead of getting them reading proficiently first is age and developmentally inappropriate.

The later grades shift to more “informational texts”. This shift is not supported by current research or opinion and does little to nothing to promote ‘critical thinking’ as the standards claim.

As an English teacher, Ms. Whitley should know all of that. Then again, why should Whitley be concerned with the facts about what happens to Elementary kids under Common Core when she teaches High school? Hers are doing so well:

Making grammar practice for the kids, I used the word “wretched”. “Don’t you mean #ratchet?” they asked. “Pretty sure u misspelled ratchet.”

— Alicia Whitley (@AliciaWhitley) September 12, 2014

KEEP READING.. There is more. A lot more. Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Have You RSVP’D For The Common Core Challenge Yet?

Posted on September 24, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

This is a reminder — I’ll be speaking at an upcoming symposium hosted by the Citizens Constitutional Caucus in Cary, NC on the morning of September 27th.

Get your ticket and join us for the Common Core Challenge featuring myself, Jamey Faulkenbury and Greg Brannon.

Hit the story for details: REMINDER: NC Common Core Symposium 9/27 Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core | 2 Comments

Postmortem: First Common Core Commission Meeting

Posted on September 23, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Yesterday was the first meeting of the Common Core Commission, officially known as the Academic Standards Review Commission (ASRC). It took place from 2 to 4 pm in a small conference room on the 4th floor of the Education building where the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) is housed. By law, the commission is not supposed to meet at DPI but they split hairs just enough by holding it in the Construction office’s conference room.

At any rate, as I said, it was small and seating was tight for those who could get a chair. In fact, it was mainly standing room only with overflow into the hallway.

KEEP READING FOR A FULL RUN DOWN OF THE MEETING, OBJECTIVES, ATTENDEES AND MEDIA COVERAGE Continue reading →

Posted in Academic Standards Review Commission, Common Core | Tagged | 7 Comments

Durham Schools Drops Teach For America

Posted on September 20, 2014 by A.P. Dillon

Here is an interesting tidbit. Durham schools has dropped their contract with Teach for America (TFA), citing the district no longer needs the group and that their turnover rate isn’t in line with the district’s retention goals.

The district has worked with TFA for the past decade and currently has 12 teachers from the program in local schools: Six at Southern School of Energy and Sustainability, four at Neal Magnet Middle School and two at Eastway Elementary School.

The Board of Education last month decided not to renew TFA’s contract, saying the district no longer needs the group’s help and that local schools need teachers willing to commit more than the two years TFA requires.

“We want to build a strong teacher workforce that’s made up of career educators,” school board Chairwoman Heidi Carter said Friday. “Our job is to look long term and make decisions that will benefit the most students over time.”

Carter said the inconsistency and turnover after TFA teachers leave can create problems, especially in high-risk schools where many of the teachers are placed.

“No organization in the business world builds its workforce from temp employees, and basically, that’s what this would be doing.” she said. – WRAL

This criticism about turnover is not new. Flashback to 2011 when Diane Ravitch spoke at Duke:

READ MORE – SEE THE DETAILS ON MONETARY JUGGERNAUT TFA Continue reading →

Posted in A.P. Dillon (LL1885), Common Core, EDUCATION, June Atkinson, NC DPI, NCGA, Pat McCrory | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Durham Schools Drops Teach For America