Tag Archives: newhampshire

How Governor Hassan and Common Core Sets Teachers Up For Failure

Teachers across the nation and in New Hampshire are being set up for failure.  How? The new Common Core initiative targets teachers as the cause for why schools are failing.
Assuming that the problems lie with teachers (and we’d argue against that belief) one would think that any new reform effort would focus on setting teachers up for success.

Unfortunately that is NOT the case and we’ll explain why.

Teacher evaluations are being done via the Danielson Rubric which is sweeping the nation. According to the website, the Danielson rubric for teacher evals is “grounded in a constructivist view of learning and teaching”  http://danielsongroup.org/framework/

Page 5 from New Hampshire Task Force On Effective Teaching:

“Each subcommittee reviewed and discussed related literature and research and developed recommendations which were sent to Charlotte Danielson for technical review.

At the final task force meeting in May 2011, Charlotte provided feedback to each subcommittee on its recommendations in light of current research and best practice. The subcommittees incorporated her feedback in their final recommendations, which will be used in the Phase II design effort.”

So how does the Charlotte Danielson Rubric set teachers up for failure?  The information below  shows how “Constructivism” lowers academic achievement in mathematics and science.  We encourage you to read through the information provided in the links below.  You will see how this pedagogy pushed on teachers, actually puts students at a disadvantage.

Failed Pedagogy is a recipe for failure in the classroom.  Forcing teachers to comply to this kind of failed Pedagogy sets not only the students up for failure, but teachers too.

While we do not wish to dictate exactly how a teacher should teach in a classroom, we believe all information should be given to teachers so they understand the real problems with this approach to learning.  Only then can they adjust their classrooms accordingly and make the best decisions for their students.  In other words, let teachers teach the best way they know how.  If they want to facilitate in the learning process vs lecture, let the teachers decide.  If that approach is not working well, give them the flexibility to adjust their teaching style accordingly.

Common Core micromanaging teacher evaluations limits a teacher’s creativity in the classroom and can have a negative impact on academic achievement.

New Hampshire parents need to be aware of what is going on inside the classroom.  Governor Hassan continues to push forward with this initiative that further damages academic achievement and the ability for teachers to simply…TEACH.

 http://www.cogtech.usc.edu/publications/kirschner_Sweller_Clark.pdf

DUNCAN is CONFIRMED and Parents go IGNORED again

The latest appointment to the New Hampshire Board of Ed drew quite a response from parents across New Hampshire.  Parents who support school choice, Charter Schools and oppose Common Core organized a valiant effort to oppose the appointment of Bill Duncan (political activist) the the New Hampshire Board of Education.

Unfortunately, their voices fell on deaf ears again.

Similar to HB 1508, legislation to terminate Common Core in New Hampshire, parents came out in large numbers to oppose Duncan’s appointment to the Board of Ed.

Councilors Joe Kenney and Chris Sununu both commented on how they received an enormous amount of calls and e-mails on this ONE controversial nomination.  They listened and both voted against Governor Hassan’s nomination.

Councilors Pappas, Van Ostern and Pignatelli all supported the nomination.  The vote was 3 to 2 split down party lines.  Republicans OPPOSED and Democrats SUPPORTIVE.

Many parents across the state came out in opposition for various reasons.  Duncan opposes School Choice and is the leading plaintiff in the lawsuit against New Hampshires School Choice scholarship program.  He has also been opposed Charter Schools.

At stopcommoncorenh.org we try to focus on Common Core related issues and also felt this appointment was wrong for New Hampshire because of Duncan’s activism in support of Common Core.

It is time to take a hard look at those who support Common Core in New Hampshire and those who support Common Core activists like Duncan.

There has been testimony from professionals on the developmentally inappropriateness of the Common Core Standards.  This has been confirmed by Licensed Child Psychologists, teachers and Math and English content experts.

However we think it’s important to hear directly from a teacher who sums up what this really means: CHILD ABUSE.

While that is a strong term, if a teacher reports child abuse, it must be acted upon.  So if what we are doing to children in the classroom raises to the level of child abuse as this teacher claims, and the Common Core Standards are developmentally INAPPROPRIATE, what are these people doing to our children in New Hampshire?

Governor Hassan chose the most radical and extreme political activist in New Hampshire to serve on the New Hampshire Board of Education.  Has she given any consideration to the charges that are being leveled in this national debate?  Has she made any kind of statement that things are different in the New Hampshire public schools?  How can they be when almost all of them are using the Common Core Standards and will be subjected to the test that Nashua teachers said were inappropriate for children?

After you watch the video below ask yourself, are these the kind of people we want making decision for our children in our schools?  Or should we elect legislators who are willing to listen to parents and do the right thing? Common Core’s Child Abuse

Share this page with every parent and voter in New Hampshire.  Here are your Executive Councilors