Common Core Standards Pros And Cons

Within the past few years, Common Core—a national academic set of standards which was launched in the United States in 2009—has been an influencing factor in the United States educational system. However, the overall impact of this curriculum has proven to be detrimental to our society. The Common Core states that the standards are based on rigorous content “in order to graduate high school prepared to succeed in entry-level careers, introductory academic college courses, and workforce training programs” (Common Core). Additionally, it claims to prepare all students for success in the global economy and society. Despite these arguments, Common Core has several negative effects. For example, fear and anxiety in children will increase due to the stress of
In “Reaching Higher? The Impact of the Common Core State Standards on the Visual Arts, Poverty, and Disabilities,” Alice Weller explains, “[that] children who flourish when engaged in autonomous acts of discovery, experimentation, and hypothetical thinking rather than passive submission to expository teaching, might not necessarily succeed in academics, let alone meet the unreasonable demands of the new tests” (60). Academics need to be well structured by providing age-appropriate, and flexibility to the system. However, Common Core does not provide this diversity. Instead of building students developmentally, Common Core builds students exponentially. The requirements for students to reach the benchmarks are pressuring teachers to conform to top-down lessons, even if they don’t believe or understand the content. Teachers need to enhance development and learning in students by developing challenging yet achievable goals, and emphasize on the education of the whole child. Not just emphasizing on the child’s ability to take a