'A well-informed public can impact policy'

I read with interest The Warwick Advertiser’s Feb. 14th article on the incoming superintendent of Warwick schools, Dr. David Leach.

I was pleased to see that Dr. Leach made the distinction between the new Common Core Learning Standards and curriculum.

The standards are most certainly not curriculum, as Dr. Leach rightly observed.

I was, however, troubled by the subsequent phrase in the article that read, “we (New York State) can choose our own curriculum.”

The reference to choice is accurate, but the inclusion of the parenthetical “New York State” only serves to confuse matters.

The fact is, there is no single, uniform curriculum for the State of New York. Indeed, there are as many potential curricula in the state of New York as there are school districts.

The point is, each and every school district in the state of New York has the right to choose or create its own curriculum so long as that curriculum allows students to meet the Common Core Learning Standards.

Dr. Leach went on to discuss the instructional “modules,” created by Expeditionary Learning for the New York State Education Department. These modules have their supporters and their detractors, and a great deal of information regarding their strengths and shortcomings is available online.

Taken together, the modules do constitute a curriculum of sorts, one that is recommended by the State Education Department.

But it is important to understand that these modules are not mandated by New York State. Districts may choose to adopt the modules as written, adapt the modules as they see fit, or even reject the modules entirely and write their own curriculum.

This freedom is based on the principle of local control, and it is an important one.

As school districts throughout the state move forward with implementation of the Common Core, it is important that all stakeholders — parents, students, teachers, taxpayers, administrators, and boards of education — understand the options they have for their schools.

Recent developments regarding a “slowdown” in the implementation of the Common Core are proof positive that a well-informed public can impact policy at the highest levels.

I encourage all stakeholders to get involved, to think critically, and to work together to ensure the best possible outcome for our schools and for the future of our children.

Sincerely,
Jonathan Sicherman
Warwick