Discussion of Common Core: Forgotten American Values

 "The cultural assumptions and values surrounding an education system do more to support or undermine it than the system can do on its own. Using the positive elements of this culture and, where necessary, seeking to change the negative ones, are important to promoting successful outcomes."

This quote was one conclusion (of 5) from a study done on why US education ranks low among developed nations, and how it can be improved. (See the article here.) In my last blog post I asked how you felt Common Core was doing to implement the study's suggestions. Now it's time for my opinion. :)

The point has been made by the media, by parents, and by educators that Americans just don't value math like the Asians. Where, in their cultures, math proficiency is revered, our students can be heard to call those good at math nerds, or use phrases about themselves like "I don't like math." Or, "I'm not good at math." If you were to ask me about my school experience, I'd say something like, "I liked English because I was good at it. I struggled with math. It wasn't my thing."

I'm not suggesting this can't be changed. I'm not suggesting we give up on teaching kids math. However, advocates of Common Core love to suggest we will score higher in Math because we "raised our standards to be globally competitive." Now, because we've tweaked how kids learn math, and ensured that everyone learns MORE, America will be cranking out Math geniuses. At least that is the story.

It is an interesting work of fiction.

America DOES and WILL have math geniuses. My guess is they will STILL value what OUR culture DOES already value: creativity, ingenuity, individuality, and self-expression. These values run deep. They permeate the American experience for our entire history. These are the values that make America the world's foremost innovator in business AND science AND technology AND social media... and the list could go on.

My husband and I both served LDS mission in Asian countries. We have lived in a culture that largely does NOT value creativity, individuality, and self expression. Which is not to say all of Asia lacks these qualities. Obviously that is not true. But for everything we love about the culture there (and the list is lengthy, and you can experience much of it in a visit to our home) we feel our country's constant comparison to educational models in Asia is unwise. Asians are doing what works for them in their culture. And they might be outscoring American students in math. Let's get over it. If we'd like American students to value math or score better, let's begin with reforms that VALUE creativity, ingenuity, individuality, and self-expression. If such an approach was ever given a shot, not only might it meet with less resistance, it might actually have a prayer of working. Exhibit A: Homeschooling! Sadly, Common Core is not that reform.