Ravitch: How many billions will be spent on Common Core?

A post today from noted education blogger  Diane Ravitch, a best-selling author and former official in the U. S. Department of Education during the senior Bush Administration points out a scholarly article from 2012 that indicates Common Core Standards will not make much of a difference in scores.

The person who wrote that article, Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institute, noted that if common standards make that much difference it would be evident in states in which schools have common standards.

Ms. Ravitch makes the following conclusion:

Hmmm. How many tens of billions of dollars will be spent on Common Core-aligned hardware, software, professional development, and consultants to see if he is right? How many districts will increase class size, abandon the arts, and eliminate other necessary program along the way?

Couldn’t we have tried the idea out first in three to five states before imposing it on 45 states?

Ms. Ravitch hits it right on the head. We have a lot of consultants, technology companies, and textbook and testing companies that are getting rich soaking the taxpayers with Common Core while we are making everything about standardized tests, a dangerous decision that is going to damage public education.