Date: Jan 9, 2013 1:57 PM
Author: Michael Paul Goldenberg
Subject: Re: The Great Purge of Literature
Careful, Haim: I and many like-minded progressive educators firmly oppose both the particular literacy and mathematics "standards" being forced down the throat of the vast majority of public schools, children, parents, teachers, administrators, etc., and the very idea of common national standards. Next thing you know, people will say you're liberal.
On the other hand, erstwhile allies of yours and the majority of members of Mathematically Correct and HOLD, such as Professor H. H. Wu of Berkeley, on the mathematics front, and E. D. Hirsch on the literary front, seem to warmly support the Common Core.
I guess politics makes strange bedfellows, and educational politics makes bizarre bedfellows.
So, then: are professors Wu and Hirsch opponents of the Education Mafia or members, perhaps highly influential ones at that? If the latter, when did they switch teams, and why? I know that the current leadership of NCTM and NCTE is pro-CCSSI, and I've made a few life-long enemies by suggesting that the recent-past and current president of NCTM sold their souls to Pearson and the rest of the high-stakes testing / publishing cabal for a mess of pottage. Are Wu and/or Hirsch similarly corrupted?
On the other hand, Sandra Stotsky, that well-known expert in . . . well, apparently everything, vehemently opposes both the math and literacy CCSSI. And while I don't agree with many of her stated reasons, and I have a pretty good idea why she and a lot of other conservatives are so anti-Common Core, she's right to oppose them even if her reasoning is not so marvelous.
So from your post here, it seems we can mark you down as another foe of the Common Core. Even if your reasoning is perhaps quite different from mine, this is clearly an opportunity for us to embrace and join forces, united in our fierce opposition of this runaway disaster. Shall we bury the hatchet and smoke the pipe of peace? Have your people call my people. We'll do lunch.
Message was edited by: Michael Paul Goldenberg