Evaluation Of General Sources

In this post I will be examining two general Internet sources on the use of Common Core in math classrooms. Common Core is still rooted in controversy, as many believe it is worse than the current system. Others argue that Common Core may be harder, but will raise America to international levels of proficiency and teach students more about mathematics as well as other topics in school, such as English and Science. 

Enderton, Herbert. "An illustration using apples to show that 2+3 and 3+2 are both equal to 5. Apples are frequently used to explain arithmetic in textbooks for children." 7/20/2007 via Wikipedia.
GNU Free Documentation License.

Many parents of students in common core see that their child is struggling, and conclude that Common Core is a bad step in the future of education because of this. In a Washington Post article published on November 8, 2014, and titled, "Why so many parents are freaking out about Common Core math," Valerie Strauss discusses these concerns as well as some arguments against these parents. In her article, Strauss a tweet from Louis C.K. to introduce her topic as well as grab attention to a well known name. Strauss' main point is that common core math cuts out a lot of the tricks and tips used to make certain standards easier. It allows kids to get the answer, but common core almost banishes those tricks because the goal is for kids to understand concepts, not memorize tricks. At the end of the article Strauss includes comments from the original report she used during the article. Every comment is negative about common core. Coupled with the hook at the beginning of the article, it can be inferred that Strauss stands with these parents against common core. In writing this article, it seems that Strauss wanted to first inform readers of some of the problems people are having with common core, and then lead her readers to conclude the same thing as the comments she posted. 


This source is titled, "Old Standards v. Common Core: A Side By Side Comparison Of Math Expectations," and examines the differences between common core questions and math questions used with traditional standards. The website is the online face of a 501(c)(3) group, called The Foundation For Excellence In Eduction. The group is non-partisan and nonprofit, and was created by former Governor Jeb Bush in 2008. This particular page compares examples of math problems from elementary, middle, and high school. It shows the difference in understanding required to solve the problem at hand. 

Here's one of the examples they give for middle school math:

Kosik, Joy. "Screenshot of Example from Foundation for Excellence in Eduction." 9/5/15 via excelined. 

Based on their creator and the site itself, it is clear that this group supports common core wholeheartedly. Their goal is to convince the general public, as well as politicians, that common core is beneficial to America and needs to be implemented in schools.