Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Abp. Listecki v. Abp. Listecki

Terry demonstrates that Abp. Listecki is not paying much attention to what he writes.

...Next he says "The standards of our Catholic schools far exceed the Common Core standards." If that's the case, then he's wasting everyone's time with the Common Core standards. If our schools already have higher standards, then it's also hard to make sense of his next statement that "Common Core standards are just one of many ways we measure the success of our students." And if they are being used as a measure, then that contradicts the next sentence in which he says "These standards are neither 'adopted' or 'adapted'." They're adopted or adapted as a measure of success. The next contradiction is in the next sentence, "In addition, the standards do not have any impact on curriculum or content whatsoever." So they are insignificant, yet he's defending them as if they are indispensable....

(I will add that "standards" ALWAYS affect curriculum.  Teachers ALWAYS "teach to the test."  To baldly state otherwise is inexplicable.)

What we have here is a case where the Archbishop--obviously preoccupied--is defending a decision made by his school superintendent, a woman heavily involved with associations which are not particularly stellar to thinking Catholics.

What is curious indeed is the ferocity with which he defends her decision--to the extent that one of his direct subordinates has written threatening letters to little old ladies, a Rembert-redux if there ever was one.

This is not a case of a few parents kvetching over trivia.  Over 100 heavyweight Catholic intellectuals have opined that Common Core "standards" are inadequate. 

Finally let's lay another card on the table:  these "standards" were influenced and/or pushed down the throats of educators by such luminaries as Bill Ayers and Arne Duncan, both of whom are members of the Inner Circle of Chicago Leftism.  I don't care that Jeb Bush was a part of it, nor that the money came from Bill Gates.  Anything with their fingerprints should be rejected on sight by any Catholic.

Too bad that the only discussion Abp. Listecki will have about this is through nastygrams, eh?

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