Speaking Out

Don't want to go along with the Common Core? Prepare to be arrested. That's the simplified message that has been drifting around since Robert Small was led out of a Howard County, Maryland town meeting. He was interrupting education officials and complaining that new standards were aimed at sending children to community colleges. An interesting observation, but since I'm not completely familiar with Maryland's statutes about complaining, I will reserve judgement. It was, after all, a public forum.
A public forum during which a hotly contested issue was being discussed, and in the words of Maryland's state attorney, "It was clear that Mr. Small violated the rules of the meeting and disrupted the meeting. It was also clear that the officer acted appropriately and did have probable cause to make an arrest on both charges." Like I said, the rules in Maryland about arguing at school board meetings are tough.
Meanwhile, the heated debate against Common Core standards continues to rage. Mostly on conservative talk radio, but that's what they tend to do: Rage. Mister Small wasn't satisfied with his written question being selected to be answered by Baltimore County School Superintendent Dallas Dance. He is concerned about lowered expectations of students, and as a result the children of Maryland will not be selected to attend Harvard but will languish in community colleges. As he was being led from the meeting by an off-duty Baltimore police officer, he shouted at the crowd, "Don't sit there like cattle!"
And so I come to an impasse here: I don't agree with Robert Small that Common Core standards and curriculum will systematically lower expectations for our students. I do agree that parents should not sit there like cattle. Nor should students. Or teachers. Education is a participatory experience. It is something of a relief that the American people seem to be getting stirred up by something pertaining to the education of their children. That's a relief, just like it's a relief that charges were dropped against Mister Small.
And now the debate can continue.