Monday Musings, The Common Core

I came across a fascinating and provocative set of responses to the Common Core Standards that are now replacing state standards in many (most?) state public education systems.  While replacing one set of measurable standards with another may make testing easier, and facilitate mobility between public school districts, one professor rightly points out that by embracing any set of standards we are by definition not asking more pertinent and important questions. Here's a sample from Dr. Daniel Coupland of Hillsdale College: “Yes, man is made for work, but he’s also made for so much more… Education should be about the highest things. We should study these things of the stars, plant cells, Mozart’s Requiem… not simply because they’ll get us into the right college or into the right line of work. Rather, we should study these noble things because they can tell us who we are, why we’re here… If education has become –as Common Core openly declares– preparation for work in a global economy, then this situation is far worse than Common Core critics ever anticipated. And the concerns about cost, and quality, and yes, even the constitutionality of Common Core, pale in comparison to the concerns for the hearts, minds, and souls of American children.” You can read the article here. What do you think the purpose of education ought to be?