MANCHESTER, N.H. – Here’s a defense of Common Core that we haven’t heard before: American schools need the nationalized learning standards so minority students can learn to read as well as white students.
In other words, supporting the experimental learning standards is a matter of social justice.
That view was articulated by teacher David Pook during a recent Common Core debate that occurred at a New Hampshire college, according to Examiner.com.
When Pook, who teaches history at the private and pricey Derryfield School, explained his position, it elicited laughs, groans and jeers from the audience:
“The reason why I helped write the standards and the reason why I am here today is that as a white male in society, I’ve been given a lot of privilege that I didn’t earn. … I think it’s really important that all kids have an equal opportunity to learn how to read. I think I had decided advantages as a result of who I was, not because of any (inaudible).
“And when I walk into places like Roberto Clemente High School on the west side of Chicago, I think it’s really important those kids learn how to read just as well as I had the opportunity to read. And in creating an equitable educational opportunity for all kids, I think this is actually the greatest civics lesson we could teach our kids.”
Kimberly Morin, author of the Examiner.com article, takes Pook to task for claiming to help write the Common Core standards.
