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>> Megyn: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
IS REPORTING ABOUT CHANGES ON
WHAT OUR CHILDREN ARE BEING
TAUGHT IN SCHOOL.
CORE STANDARDS ARE AIMED AT
BRINGING STATEMENTS IN
ALIGNMENT.
WE'RE HEARING CONTROVERSIAL
CLAIMS ABOUT HOW THE FEDS MIGHT
USE THIS PROGRAM TO DATA MINE
OUR STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.
BOB BODEN IS AN EDUCATION
ANALYST AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE
EDUCATION DOCUMENTARY, THE
CARTEL.
BOB, GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD TO SEE YOU, MEGYN.
>> Megyn: WHAT IS COMMON CORE.
>> WHAT ARE EDUCATION CURRICULUM
STANDARDS?
THE IDEA IS WHAT GRADE YOU TEACH
LONG DIVISION OR WHAT GRADE IN
HIGH SCHOOL YOU INTRODUCE
SHAKESPEARE.
SHOULD KINDERGARTENERS COUNT
FROM 1 TO 20 OR 1 TO 100.
STATES COUNT IT DIFFERENTLY.
THE KIDS GO TO THIRD GRADE IN
GEORGIA AND MOVES TO GO TO
FOURTH GRADE IN ALABAMA.
SHOULD THEY BE COMPLETELY THROWN
OFF?
THIS IS THE ARGUMENT FOR IT IN
TERMS OF WHAT THEY'RE LEARNING
AND WHERE THEY ARE IN CLASS.
SHOULD THEY BE BEHIND, FOR
EXAMPLE.
THE OTHER ARGUMENT IS THERE'S
ECONOMIES OF SCALE, AND WITH
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND NEW
TEXTBOOKS, IT MAKES SENSE THAT
IF YOU HAVE STAND FOR WHAT THIRD
GRADER SHOULD KNOW, YOU COULD
HAVE A THIRD GRADE TEXTBOOK
COMPANY.
INSTEAD OF DEVELOPING ALL THE
DIFFERENT ONES, LET'S HAVE A
STANDARD ONE.
ONE.
>> Megyn: IN THEORY I LIKE THAT.
I DON'T WANT THE KID WHO IS
FINISHING KINDERGARTEN IN
GEORGIA TO COUNT 1 TO 20 INSTEAD
OF THE KID IN NEW YORK COUNT
BEING 1 TO00.
>> WE HAVE A COMMON ELECTRICAL
GRID, AND YOU CAN PLUG IN A HAIR
DRIER ANYWHERE.
THE STANDARD IS GOOD.
>> Megyn: IT'S NOT ALL AS
RAINBOWS AND UNICORNS AS YOUnd
I ARE SETTING IT UP TO BE.
THE CONTROVERSY COMES WHERE?
>> IT WAS ORIGINALLY SOLD AS A
VOLUNTARY EFFORT BY STATES.
STATES GOT TOGETHER AND SAY ALL
RIGHT, WELL, WE'LL MAKE OUR
STANDARDS LIKE YOURS, AND WE'LL
ALL BE IN SYNC, RIGHT?
WE'VE INCREASINGLY LEARNED IS
THE FEDERAL TOP DOWN
INVOLVEMENT.
A THIRD OF A BILLION DOLLARS WAS
USED BY THE FEDERAL TREASURY
MONEY TO SET UP THESE GROUPS.
WE REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THAT, MOST
IN EDUCATION REFORM, AT THE
BEGINNING.
WE ALSO LEARNED LATER THAT WELL,
THE RACE TO THE TOP INITIATIVE
WHERE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS WERE
GIVEN BY THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION TO CERTAIN STATES
IF THEY LIKED WHAT THOSE STATES
WERE DOING IN EDUCATION.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE CRITERIA FOR
GIVING OUT THE FEDERAL MONEY.
ARE YOU DOWN WITH COMMON CORE?
ALSO, WAIVERS TO NO CHILD LEFT
BEHIND WHICH HAD SOME ONEROUS
FEDERAL PENALTIES IF YOU WERE
FOUND IN NON-COMPLIANCE WITH NO
CHILD LEFT BEHIND.
WELL, YOU COULD GET WAIVED FROM
ALL THAT BY THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT IF YOU WERE GOOD WITH
COMMON CORE.
SO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT BECAME
A LARGER AND LARGER ROLE IN
TERMS OF --
>> Megyn: IF COMMON CORE IS NOT
CONTROVERSY, IS THERE SOMETHING
ABOUT THE LESSON PLAN THAT'S
PROBLEMATIC, THAT PEOPLE DON'T
WANT THEIR CHILDREN LEARNING AND
THEY DON'T WANT ARNE DUNCAN
ENFORCING?
>> THAT'S EXACTLY RIGHT.
YOU SET IT UP RIGHT.
THERE'S REALLY A NEW PUSHBACK
AGAINST COMMON CORE.
IT'S REALLY ROOTED IN THE IDEA
THAT, YOU KNOW, FIRST OF ALL,
YOU KNOW, THIS COULD BE THE
ENTREE FOR FURTHER FEDERAL
INVOLVEMENT.
WHAT IN TEN YEARS FROM NOW
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SAYS WE
LIKE THIS TEXTBOOK AND YOU
SHOULD USE IT AND SPEND THIS
MUCH TIME TEACHING GEOMETRY AND
WE HAVE A READING LIST, AND YOU
HAVE TO PICK FROM THIS STUFF?
THERE COULD BE FUTURE FEDERAL
REQUIREMENTS, IN OTHER WORDS, IF
THIS IS THE CAMEL NOSE UNDER THE
TENT OF FEDERAL INVOLVEMENT THAT
PEOPLE REJECT.
ALSO, YOU MIGHT SAY A LARGER
CONCERN IS WE'RE JUST AT THE
CUSP OF AN EXPLOSION IN
INNOVATION IN EDUCATION.
WE HAVE ON LINE LEARNING
EXPLODING.
WE HAVE NICHE CHARTER SCHOOLS IN
ALMOST EVERY STATE.
MANY STATES NOW HAVE VOUCHER
PROGRAMS FOR PRIVATE SCHOOLS
TEACHING CERTAIN SPECIALIZED
CURRICULUM TO DIFFERENT KINDS OF
KIDS.
RIGHT AT THIS EXACT MOMENT OF,
YOU KNOW, STARBUCK'S ADDING 20
KINDS OF COFFEE, YOU KNOW,
INSTEAD OF JUST REGULAR OR
DECAV, IN EDUCATION THIS IS
FEARED AS A WAY TO IMPLEMENT A
TOP DOWN, YOU KNOW, FEDERALIZED
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION.
>> Megyn: ONE SIZE FITS ALL, AND
ONE SIZE DOES NOT NECESSARILY
FIT ALL WHEN IT COMES TO
EDUCATING CHILDREN.
>> EXACTLY.
ALL CHILDREN ARE DIFFERENT, YOU
KNOW, AS HAS BEEN OFTEN SAID.
YOU NEED TO MEET TWO CHILDREN TO
KNOW THAT.
NOW YOU HAVE CONSERVATIVE GROUPS
LIKE TEA PARTY GROUPS OPPOSING
THAT.
>> Megyn: I WANT TO TALK TO YOU
ABOUT THAT, WHY THE TEA PARTY
OPPOSES IT.
WE'LL DO THAT RIGHT AFTER THE
BREAK.
>> Megyn: BOB IS BACK WITH ME
NOW.
HE'S FROM CHOICE MEDIA.
I WANT TO PICK UP WITH THIS
DISCUSSION ON WHETHER THEY'RE
DATA MINING OUR KIDS THROUGH
THIS PROGRAM, COMMON CORE.
THE FEDS ARE OVERSEEING IT AND
MAKING CERTAIN THINGS
CONDITIONAL UPON STATES ADOPTING
IT.
THE FEDS ARE GOING TO DATA MINE
OUR KIDS AND OUR FAMILIES
THROUGH IT?
HOW?
>> ALL RIGHT.
SO WHAT DOES DATA MINE MEAN?
SO TO SOME, THE MORE INNOCUOUS
EXPLANATION IS TAKING AVERAGES
TO FIND OUT HOW THE AVERAGE KID
IS DOING BECAUSE THEY NEED TO
ADJUST THE EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS
IN A CERTAIN WAY TO COMPENSATE
FOR IT.
KIDS ARE REALLY GETTING THE
CONCEPT BUT MISSING THIS OTHER
CONPT IN THEIR, YOU KNOW,
SECOND GRADE READING OR
SOMETHING, AND SO WE'RE GOING TO
MAKE AN ADJUSTMENT.
PEOPLE GENERALLY DON'T HAVE A
PROBLEM WITH THAT, BUT THE
QUESTION THEN BECOMES WHERE IS
ALL THIS DATA HOUSED?
HOW SPECIFIC IS IT TO THE KID?
AND THEN ULTIMATELY, YOU KNOW,
HOW IS IT GOING TO BE USED
LATER?
YOU KNOW, AT THE RISK OF
CONTROVERSY HERE, WHEN GOOGLE
HAD A PROGRAM CALLED DOODLE FOR
GOOGLE FOR CHILDREN THEY HAD AN
APPLICATION CHILDREN WERE
SUPPOSED TO FILL OUT.
THEY WOULD BASICALLY DOODLE LIKE
THE GOOGLE LOGO AND THEY WOULD
HAVE A NATIONAL CONTEST, PICK
THEIR FAVORITE DOODLE AND GO ON
THE WEBSITE.
AT ONE POINT THEY ASKED FOR EACH
KID'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS,
CHILDRENS' SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER ON THE GOOGLE FORM.
>> Megyn: UNBELIEVABLE.
>> EXACTLY.
WHEN THIS CAME OUT, THEY
QUICKLY, YOU KNOW, ABANDONED IT.
THEY SAID OH, NO, IT'S JUST TO
MAKE SURE WE DON'T GET DUPLICATE
ENTRIES.
THAT'S THE REASON.
ULTIMATELY WHAT SORT OF PRIVATE
ISSUES ARE THERE.
>> Megyn: HOW MUCH SHARING DO WE
WANT TO DO WITH THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE?
WE'VE DONE SO MANY STORIES ON
SCHOOL CURRICULUM.
HAD THE TEST QUESTION THAT
SUGGESTED THE UNITED STATES IS
RESPONSIBLE FOR BRINGING ON
9/11.
WE USED THE TERM FREEDOM
FIGHTERS WHEN DISCUSSING
TERRORISTS.
THAT'S NOT PART OF A COMMON CORE
CURRICULUM.
IT'S CONTROVERSIAL.
I MEAN, THAT'S THE DANGER IN
PUTTING THE DECISION-MAKING AND
LEARNING IN THE HANDS OF ONE
CENTRAL AUTHORITY.
MAYBE YOU DISAGREE WITH THAT
AUTHORITY.