Stop Common Core from the Left and Right: Can we build common ground on Common Core?

While reading a recent article from The World Socialist Website in opposition to the Common Core State Standards, I was amused by the interesting bedfellows the war over Obama's education reforms has made. A conservative like myself agreeing with the World Socialist's points of opposition to the Common Core State Standards Initiative — And an accused socialist like Obama sending Arne Duncan to ask the conservative Chamber of Commerce to support the CCSS against increasing attacks. The World Socialist Web Site is simpatico with libertarian Glenn Beck in reporting that CCSS is a "FEDERAL initiative bankrolled by various corporate interests" — while the US Media is backing Obama's agenda and pushing the administrations propaganda that CCSS is "State-led".

To reassure me that I hadn't landed in an alternate universe where socialists support limited government, the "World Socialist" article concluded their astute analysis of the deficiencies of CCSS by placing blame squarely on evil capitalism."The provision of high quality public education is incompatible with the continued existence of capitalism." Here is of course where we differ. My contention has been that Common Core is the result of a key tenet of socialism; markets heavily regulated and centrally managed industries. Common Core is the educational counterpart: managed markets, managed work force, managed career paths - P-20.

Despite our obvious differences -- our different solutions for quality education and strategies to address  poverty and other social factors that most profoundly affect educational outcomes -- we seem to have found common ground on Common Core.

Our common ground includes:

1) We oppose the "intensified testing regime to evaluate the performance of students and teachers" that will not improve education and does great harm to students and teachers.

2) We oppose Obamacore because it seeks to "tailor public and higher education entirely to the needs of corporate America" (State Capitalism). Viewing students as cogs in a global economy and "assessing students for the purpose of channeling them into collage or trade skill tracks."

3) We oppose the unholy and unaccountable partnership between the compulsory power of the federal government and the bankrolled priorities of various corporate interests and political unions.

4) We oppose the movement towards tracking our children from Pre-K through career and the privacy concerns associated with making that data available to the Federal government, private political NGO's, and corporations.

5) We oppose the creation of giant corporate education monopolies, "radically altering the market for innovation in curriculum development, professional development, and formative assessments."

6) We oppose the cost to state taxpayers — "none of the funding going to teachers’ salaries... increasing resources for art, music and gym courses" — instead states will be forced to divert funds to "CCSS implementation and testing materials such as computers, software and training materials for teachers."

Can our common ground NOW lead to a common solutions later?

Common solutions are usually built on common understanding of the problem. Albert Einstein said it this way, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." For this reason I hope to reach open minded progressives, to persuade them to entertain the idea that the Capitalism they see today is not the product of Free Market Capitalism that propelled American freedom and prosperity. Capitalism has been corrupted by the power hungry in the government who seek to control the free market and the power hungry corporate moguls who seek corporate privilege via law. Thus both sides amassing great power and wealth by corrupting both government and business.

It would certainly make for a much more cohesive reform movement if my socialist friends (and yes I have some) might find truth in what a true believer in the virtue of Capitalist, Ayn Rand, taught: "A free mind and a free market are corollaries." Without some foundation of truth to which we all ascribe I am leery about our chances of finding common solutions, however, their is a glimmer of hope because we already oppose Common Core on common ground. It seems like a solid starting point to build meaningful education reform in the US. Can we?  I hope we have the opportunity to find out.