- “I have come to the conclusion that the Common Core Standards effort is fundamentally flawed by the process by which they have been foisted upon the nation. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan often stay that the Common Core Standards were developed by the states and voluntarily adopted by them. This is not true. They were developed by an organization called Achieve and the National Governors Association, both of which were generously funded by the Gates Foundation. There was minimal public engagement in the development of the Common Core. Their creation was neither grassroots nor did it emanate from the states.” ~ Diane Ravitch, education historian and former education secretary
- “Teachers and their union generally prefer accountability systems that recognize that the best teaching prepares students for real-world performance–reading for knowledge and understanding, mathematics for analyzing and problem-solving, history of interpreting and enjoyment, and writing for advocating and communicating. Teachers prefer an accountability system that does not limit and distort instruction, but that supports the development of intellectual and practical skills and preparation for performance on real-world tasks.” ~ Arthur Wise, National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education
- “Poor school leadership is one sure-fire way to end teaching careers prematurely and destabilize schools. Having a strong yet collaborative principal, however, can motivate teachers to stay in the classroom longer than they thought they would.” ~ Marvin Berkowitz, University of Missouri- St. Louis
