Lawrence Teachers Rail Against Common Core

The head of the Lawrence teachers’ union railed against the district’s implementation of Common Core Standards, arguing they are turning the heads of classrooms into “robotic Stepford teachers.”

The new federal standards provide a framework that sets benchmarks for what students should know at each grade level. Each school district chooses how to implement the standards, but all students are still subjected to more rigorous standardized tests.

Lori Skonberg, head of the Lawrence Teachers’ Association, told the board of education at its recent meeting that although teachers are not against the Common Core standards, they are opposed to the way the state and district has implemented them. For example, she said that English is now taught in the district through modules, resulting in “lockstep fashion” lessons. She said this hurts a teacher’s ability to tailor lessons to individual students, such as a special education student in an inclusion class.

“We are embarking on the path of whole school reform without any recent, relevant

research to support that decision,” she said. “Our students are not guinea pigs. We should not be experimenting with a brand new, untested curriculum, especially considering the seemingly

countless problems being found by educators state wide.”

Superintendent Gary Schall did not respond directly to Skonberg’s statement, but he did say earlier in the meeting that the district “supports the Common Core as a vehicle for instruction.” He added that he’s against overtesting and the exams not being “in line with the standards.”

“The 300 teachers of this district urge you to please put an end to this madness, in both ELA and

math,” Skonberg said. “Do it because it is so obviously the right thing to do for the children of the Lawrence Public Schools.”

To watch a video of Skonberg’s entire speech, click here.