Jackson Jambalaya

To hell with federal funding - of every stripe. You're either a sovereign state or a slave to the state - take your pick!

You ready for a tax hike? You are certainly in the wrong state with that attitude, buddy.

Hilariously funny considering how often and strenuously the Common Core cadres have stressed that Common Core is not a federal mandate nor an attempt by the Federales to impose educational requirements on the states.

Common Core supporters Tate Reeves and Philip Gunn ask everyone to please look the other way.

@10:40 & 10:42

Did you read the article? Or just skim the headline and bloviate. Other states, like Indiana, have been approved without common core.

This has to do with college standards, not common core. You don't like Common Core? Fine. Implement your own flavor (hint: it costs millions to develop a curriculum that is rigorous and prepares kids for college)

Common Core is a sham curriculum that was sold on the promise of more federal money. And yes, despite what its supporters say, it is a federally mandated curriculum. Public school teachers teach to the test. In this case, the test is whatever the two federally sanctioned testing companies say it is. The government sets the requirements on what gets tested, the teachers teach to whatever will be on the tests that are given.

The requirements aren't more rigorous, either. The students may have a "deeper" (see that beautiful common core buzzword?) knowledge base, but what the government won't tell you is the breadth of knowledge is smaller.

Don't believe me? Go online and give your child a practice test from Singapore Math. That's the math taught in most public schools. But be sure to compare how your child does between the two types of Singapore Math tests available: Common Core and Standards. Standards refers to the old California math standards that were in place before CC hit the market. Bet your child does better on CC than Standards and the reason is that the latter covers more material than the former. How is that an improvement in public education? They are teaching our children less by focusing on the basics more. Those that suffer the most will be your above average - star students. Let the brain drain begin.

Who was the president who touted and passed "No Child?" Must have been a flaming liberal.

11:24, you've got that bass ackwards, and CC isn't a curriculum, it's a set of standards. And 9:50 -I'll bet you're the same 19th Century time traveler who said not too very long ago that the University of Mississippi was a "Confederate university, built by Confederates", when, in truth, the only time it's ever been closed since its founding was when the Confederacy existed. Again, that's backwards. Antebellum types like you need to at least move on the 20th Century (I realize that moving to the 21st Century is beyond hope.)

Alright Dees, you tell me how it isn't a national curriculum. In practice, it is. The feds set standards for a test and the teachers teach to the test because (wait for it) their jobs depend upon the kids making good scores on said tests.

I think we're arguing on the proper pronunciation of potato because as far as CC is concerned, standards = curriculum (and a bare bones one at that).

Please do not try to argue that teachers do not teach to the test. That's ass backwards.

I wish I could have all the "states rights" people get in an alternate universe machine and see just how grand it would be to live in the United State of MS. There is a reason why we became a country of 50 states instead of a country of one state! Before you know it we would have counties wanting to secede from each other in the grand old United State of MS.Give it a rest, not everything the federal gov. does is an evil conspiracy.

I hate tell you but teachers have been teaching to the test for at least 20 years - long before CC was even dreamed of. My wife's been a teacher for 25 years.

"...reverted back..."?

And this from the Wall Street Journal?

Y'all are missing the point. The federal government has never mandated what should be included on tests that states administer; that has since changed with CC. Furthermore, the "standards" are lower than previous iterations. Instead of third graders knowing addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, converting weights and measurements, time and money, they are only tested on those first four items listed. Granted, they'll be required to work the same problem 5 different ways to get full credit for an answer, but which standard do you think is better?

CC is a baseline curriculum.

4:44 - dead on. Teaching to the test has been the fact since time immemorial. Doesn't matter if it is CC or whatever the standard was prior to today

Crazies today - screaming and hollering about CC because they want to tie it to Obama. Personally, I cant stand Obama. I dont like anything about him.

But I can think for myself. I dont automatically condemn CC because someone on FB told me CC was bad because Obama was bad.

But - I'm smarter than all those other crazy folks.

And - they won't believe it, no matter what is said or written.

So - just as long as we can keep those crazy folks out of public policy, we could be good.

But they keep on sneaking in. How in the world can we keep them out of intelligant public policy discussions

I see lots of name calling from the pro CC crowd, but little else. Maybe that's all you've got, in which case let's take this fight to the nearest elementary school playground.

Common Core zealots will tell you that the CC standards stress depth, yet I am told on a regular basis to "pick up the pace" because we have "so much to cover in such a short period of time". There are chapters that I am simply skating over to keep up with the pace. It is simply a joke.

So 9:52 am what is your solution to our education problems?

I expect that CC is flawed just as No Child Left Behind was flawed.

But, both were made to be political straw men.

Why do YOU think the education system in MS is so poor compared to other states?

I am so tired of the bitching and complaining especially when there are so many successful models out there but you can't get the know nothings to go along with anything that isn't their party's idea!

And, every damn person that went to school at one time or another thinks they are experts in education and child development.

So, please , tell me why you can't find ways to cover the material when others can?

At 6:36, the "education system" in Mississippi is poor because said "system" includes THE PARENTS. And WAY too many PARENTS could not care less about their kid's education. Teachers are not miracle workers. All they can do is TRY to teach SOME of the kids something. If the kid doesn't care and the parent(s) don't care, there is nothing the teacher can do to change the outcome. It won't matter whether the standards used are Common Core or not.