>> THE COMMON CORE, WHERE OUR KIDS ARE TAUGHT IN SCHOOL IS A
HOP TOPIC ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
MASSACHUSETTS AND 40 OTHER STATES ADOPTED THE NATIONAL
EDUCATION STANDARDS BACK IN 2010.
BUT NOW, SOME ARE DROPPING COMMON CORE OPTING FOR MORE
LOCAL CONTROL, AND THERE IS A MOVEMENT TO DO THAT HERE THROUGH
A STATEWIDE REFERENDUM.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SPOKE WITH DONNA COLORIO, WHO CHAIRS THE END
COMMON CORE MASSACHUSETTS BALLOT INITIATIVE, AND WITH SPECIAL
EDUCATION TEACHER, CARRIE FOLEY TO LEARN WHY THEY ARE AMONG
THOSE OPPOSING THE CURRENT SYSTEM.
>> WE STARTED THE PENTAGON AS A -- LIKE A NATURAL PROGRESSION OF
WHAT, OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS.
ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, WE STARTED A PARENT-TEACHER ORGANIZATION
CALLED THE COMMON CORE FORUM, AND FROM THERE WE WOULD GO
AROUND THE STATE AND EDUCATE PARENTS AND OTHER, YOU KNOW,
TAXPAYERS ABOUT WHAT THE COMMON CORE WAS.
IN THE COMMON CORE FEDERAL STANDARDS THAT TELL US WHAT TO
DO AT EACH GRADE, WHAT TO TEACH OUR CHILDREN.
AND FROM THERE, WE REALIZED, THAT EVEN THOUGH WE WERE WORKING
REALLY HARD AT EDUCATING, EVEN THOUGH WE REACHED OUT TO MANY,
MANY FOLKS, THAT WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY NOW TO PUSH THIS ONE
STEP FURTHER.
TO GET THE RECOGNITION AND GET, GET TO THE POINT THAT WE CAN
TURN BACK OR MOVE FORWARD IN -- AND HAVE THE STANDARDS THAT WE
HAD IN 2010, WHICH IS THE MASSACHUSETTS STANDARDS, SO WE
DECIDED TO PUT A BALLOT QUESTION ON FOR 2016, SO WE'RE IN THE
PROCESS NOW OF COLLECTING THE SIGNATURES TO PUT THIS QUESTION
ON THE BALLOT.
>> NOW, CARRIE, YOU MET DONNA, REALLY, ONLINE, IN FACEBOOK, AND
TALKING ABOUT COMMON CORE.
WHY ARE YOU OPPOSED TO IT?
>> I HAVE SEEN, AT FIRST, AS TEACHERS IN THE BUILDING, WE
TOOK IT AS THE NEXT SET OF PRACTICES THAT WERE GOING TO
COME INTO A SCHOOL.
SO, WHAT HAPPENED WAS YOU, WE SAW A GRADUAL LOOK AT COMMON
CORE.
IN MY EXPERIENCE, I DIDN'T SEE THAT IT WAS BECOMING A VAST
DIFFERENCE FROM THE OLD STANDARDS UNTIL I STARTED TO
REALLY PICK APART THE STANDARDS TO PLAN MY CURRICULUM.
AND THAT'S HAPPENED OVER THE PAST TWO OR THREE YEARS.
AT FIRST, LIKE I SAID, IT CAME SLOWLY, THE LAST TWO YEARS WHAT
I HAVE SEEN IS THERE IS A LOT OF UNPACKING, THEY CALL IT, THAT
HAS TO BE DONE AT THE STANDARDS, WHEN YOU READ THE COMMON CORE
STANDARDS, VERSUS THE OLD STANDARDS, THERE IS A LOT OF
ROOM FOR INTERPRETATION ON WHAT A STANDARD MIGHT MEAN.
THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM WHERE I MIGHT THINK THE STANDARD IS
TELLING ME TO TEACH ONE WAY, AND ANOTHER TEACHER MIGHT READ IT
ANOTHER WAY.
THE WAY THE STANDARDS ARE WRITTEN, IT'S VERY -- IT'S VERY
INTENSIVE LANGUAGE, AND THERE IS A LOT OF WORDS THAT YOU DON'T
NECESSARILY READ AS A TEACHER AND THINK, OK, THAT TELLS ME
WHAT LEARNING POINT MY STUDENTS NEED TO HAVE.
IT'S A LOT OF SAYING, WE'LL EXPLICITLY PICK OUT QUOTES IN
THE TEXT.
WE'LL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU ARE PLANNING CURRICULUM AND TEACHING
A LEARNING CLASS, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY EXPLICITLY PICK
OUTER SOMETHING IN A TEXT, IT CAN MEAN A LOT OF THINGS TO A
LOT OF PEOPLE.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF DEBATE ON TEACHERS ON WHAT THE, WHAT IS
THE BEST PRACTICE.
>> PEOPLE HAVE SUPPORTED, EXCUSE ME, COMMON CORE, INCLUDING ME
AND THE NEA HAVE SAID LOOK, THERE IS GOING TO MAKE OUR KIDS
BETTER PROBLEM SOLVERS, BETTER CRITICAL THIRD.
WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?
>> THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, BUT THE COMMON CORE
STANDARDS ARE INFERIOR TO THE MASSACHUSETTS STANDARDS, WHICH
ARE NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY, AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I
JUST WANT TO TOUCH UPON WHAT CARRIE HAD JUST MENTIONED, IS
THAT TWO YEARS AGO, IN 2013, 73% OF THE TEACHERS NATION-WIDE WERE
IN FAVOR OF THE COMMON CORE.
NOW, THAT HAS DROPPED TO 40% IN 2016, SO IN THE LAST TWO YEARS
-- IN 2015, WHEN THE TEACHERS GOT INTO THE STANDARDS, THEY
REALIZED THAT THEY ARE INFERIOR AND IN MASSACHUSETTS, THEY ARE
SEEING MUCH BETTER.
WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT DIFFERENT TRADE ORGANIZATIONS, A
DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT NONPROFITS, THEY ARE NOT TEACHERS.
WE NEED TO TALK TO THE FRONT LINE.
THE FRONT LINE IS THE TEACHERS AND THE PARENTS WHO ARE DOING
THE HOMEWORK EVERY DAY, AND THE TEACHERS THINK IT IS A
NIGHTMARE.
THE PARENTS THINK IT IS A NIGHTMARE AND THE KIDS ARE
CRYING BECAUSE THEY ARE SO FRUSTRATED WITH THESE STANDARDS,
THAT THE TEACHERS DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH.
>> SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HEAR CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE, WHO
MIGHT HAVE POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS AND SAY, WE DON'T WANT COMMON
CORE.
WE DON'T WANT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT INVOLVED IN OUR
CLASSROOM.
TELL ME A BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR POLITICAL PERSUASION AND DO
YOU THINK THAT IT'S JUST A GROUP OF CONSERVATIVES, AS OFTEN
LABELED BY THE MEDIA, THAT'S STIRRING THIS UP OR A BROADER
GROUP?
>> I FEEL IT'S A BROADER GROUP.
I DON'T ALIGN WITH ANY CERTAIN PARTY.
THE VOTER.
I KNOW THAT -- I DECLARE MYSELF AS INDEPENDENT, AND I, ACTUALLY,
BEFORE COMMON CORE, BEFORE I STARTED SEEING THE IMPACTS IN
THE CLASSROOM, I DIDN'T CONSIDER MYSELF SOMEONE WHO PAID
ATTENTION TO POLITICS ON A LARGE LEVEL.
I KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY, AND BUT, I WAS
NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO HOW LEGISLATORS VOTE IN NEW
PRACTICES FOR SCHOOLS IN A WAY THAT THEN STARTS AFFECTING MY
STUDENTS, AND THE WAY THAT I CAN TEACH THEM AND THEY CAN LEARN.
THE MORE I SEE THIS IS CROSSING ALL KINDS OF POLITICAL LINES,
AND I THINK THAT ANY INFORMATION OUT THERE THAT SAYS THAT IT'S
ONE POLITICAL PARTY, I WOULD NOT AGREE WITH BECAUSE LIKE I SAID,
I'M STARTING TO PAY ATTENTION TO NOR WHICH POLITICAL PARTY,
SOMEONE IS AFFILIATED WITH BUT WHAT THEY ARE SAYING, AND IF
THEY ARE CITING RESEARCH THAT COMES FROM EXPERTS, OR IF THEY
ARE CITING THE SAME KIND OF WORDS AND WORDING THAT TYPICALLY
PEOPLE IN COMMON CORE USE, AND IT'S ALL THE SAME WORDING.
>> SOME MIGHT LISTEN TO YOU AND SAY, MAY BE CARRIE IS BEING A
LITTLE WEAK, AND MAYBE YOU ARE BEING A LITTLE WEAK, AND
SHOULDN'T WE HAVE TOUGH STANDARDS?
DON'T OUR KIDS DESERVE A BIT OF TOUGH LOVE WHEN WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT RAISING THEM UP IN THE CLASSROOM?
>> THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY THAT THE COMMON CORE STANDARDS ARE
RIGOROUS.
THERE IS NO DATA.
THESE ARE UNPROVEN STANDARDS.
WHEN WE DID THE REFORM, WE PUT IN THINGS IN THE STANDARDS THAT
WOULD EN RICH THE VOCABULARY THAT WOULD HELP THE STUDENT WITH
THE COMPREHENSION AND THE MATH SKILLS, PUT THEM ON IN MANY OF
THE AREAS, THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE ON.
COMMON CORE, THERE IS NO -- NOTHING THERE.
THERE IS NOTHING TO SAY THAT THERE IS NO RESEARCH.
IT'S NOT RESEARCH-BASED.
IT'S JUST USING THOSE WORDS.
THERE IS NOTHING BEHIND IT.
>> SUPPORTERS OF COMMON CORE HAVE SAID LOOK, IT'S GOING TO
COST MASSACHUSETTS MONEY TO GET RID OF IT.
WE'RE FIVE YEARS IN, AND WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO NOW?
ROLL BACK TO THE OLD STANDARDS AND SAY THAT THEY WERE OUTDATED.
>> WE INVESTED 100 BILLION IN THE EDUCATION STANDARDS THAT WE
HAD FROM THE REFORM IN 1992.
SO, WHY DID WE JUST DECIDE TO ABOLISH 100 BILLION OF TAXPAYER
DOLLARS TO PUT IN THIS COMMON CORE?
SO I THINK IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO TURN BACK, YOU KNOW, A BAD
DECISION BECAUSE THIS WAS A BAD DECISION.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU ARE GOING TO FIND WHEN YOU TALK
ABOUT CROSSING PARTY LINES, THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE MET
THROUGHOUT THE STATE, WHETHER IT'S FROM ANY POLITICAL PARTY,
IS ONE THING THAT WE ALL HAVE IN COMMON, AND CARRIE, YOU CAN
VOUCH -- VOUCH FOR THIS.
WE HAVE THE CHILDREN'S BEST INTERESTS, NUMBER ONE, AND
THAT'S WHAT -- HOW WE ARE BONDED, WE WANT WHAT'S BEST FOR
THE CHILDREN IN MASSACHUSETTS AND WE HAVE THE BEST STANDARDS,
AND IF -- IN THE LAST -- THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, THERE'S A
NATIONAL TEST CALLED THE NAPE TEST, AND THE NAPE TEST IS IN
THE FOURTH GRADE READING IS INDICATIVE OF FUTURE READERS,
AND WHAT WE HAVE SEEN IS MASSACHUSETTS, BETWEEN 11-13,
HAS DROPPED FIVE POINTS.
AND WHEN YOU DROP FIVE POINTS IN THE NAPE TEST, SOMETHING IS
WRONG.
>> YOU ARE BLAMING COMMON CORE?
>> I AM ABSOLUTELY POINTING TO COMMON CORE ON THIS BECAUSE WE
HAVE SEEN THIS, AND WE'RE SEEING THE KIDS, ARE DROPPING, IN ALL
LEVELS, AND IN FIVE POINTS, MAY NOT SEEM LIKE A LOT FIVE POINTS
IS EQUAL TO A HALF A YEAR OF LOST LEARNING.
SO, OUR CHILDREN ARE NOT BENEFITING FROM THE COMMON CORE,
SO I SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT YOU, LET'S CUT THE LOSS AND IS LET'S
MOVE RIGHT YOU KNOW, MOVE ALONG.
>> AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YOU HAVE A CHILD IN PUBLIC
SCHOOL.
>> I DO.
>> AND YOU ARE AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR SO YOU HAVE EDUCATION
IN YOUR BACKGROUND, AND PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE WITH YOUR
CHILD, AS WELL, BUT, CARRIE, SO, LET'S SAY, MORE THAT LONG 40
STATES HAVE COMMON CORE, RIGHT?
THEY HAVE ADOPTED IT?
DO YOU REALLY THINK IN THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, THAT YOU GUYS
ARE GOING TO WIN THIS?
>> I THINK THAT WE CAN.
I THINK THAT I AM STARTING TO FEEL LIKE PEOPLE UNITING OVER A
COMMON CAUSE, AND WHO FIND EACH OTHER ON SOMETHING AS SIMPLE AS
SOCIAL MEDIA, AND BECOME ACTIVISTS IN A WAY THAT NEVER
WOULD HAVE OCCURRED OTHERWISE, FOR MYSELF, I THINK THAT WE CAN.
I BECAME ACTIVE BECAUSE OF DONNA'S EFFORTS, AND GETTING TO
KNOW HER ON A PARENT LEVEL, GETTING TO KNOW THE PEOPLE ON
HER SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES, FIRST, PARENTS, ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT
OUR KIDS, AND THEN ALSO, APPLYING IT TO WHAT I WAS SEEING
IN THE CLASSROOM.
I DO THINK THAT IT'S WINNABLE, AND I THINK IT INVOLVES PEOPLE
JOINING TOGETHER TO SPEAK UP AND TO, AND CHANGE CAN HAPPEN.
>> WHAT'S THE NEXT STEP?
YOU HAVE TO COLLECT ABOUT 68,000 SIGNATURES, CAN YOU DO IT BY MID
NOVEMBER?
>> I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN.
AND THIS IS THE THING, IS THAT A LOT OF PARENTS, ARE STEPPING UPP
TO THE PLATE BECAUSE THEY ARE SO FRUSTRATED, AND YOU KNOW, WE
HAVE A WEBSITE, AND END, COMMON CORE, NA, AND ON THE WEBSITE,
YOU CAN SEE WHERE WE'RE COLLECTING SIGNATURES IF YOU
WANT TO SIGN OR YOU CAN HELP TO JOIN, EVEN IF YOU GET ONE SHEET
OR TWO OR THREE, OR IF YOU GO OUT TO THE SUPERMARKET AND
COLLECT TWO HOURS, IN BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, DROPPING OFF YOUR KIDS
AND GOING TO THE NEXT APPOINTMENT, PARENTS ARE DOING A
LOT, THIS IS A LOT OF GROUND SWELL, IT THIS IS PARENTS.
THIS IS TEACHERS.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY THAT'S
COMING TOGETHER TO GET THESE SIGNATURES, AND WE'RE NOT PAYING
FOR THE SIGNATURES.
THIS IS JUST US.
OUT HERE, YOU KNOW, COLLECTING THE SIGNATURES, SO I BELIEVE
THAT WE CAN DO IT.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
I KNOW THIS IS GOING TO BE A TOPIC THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL
TALK ABOUT.
THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU.