COMMON CORE CURRICULUM IS ANOTHER TOP-DOWN TIME BOMB

COMMON CORE CURRICULUM IS ANOTHER TOP-DOWN TIME BOMB

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Here we go again.  The “Common Core Curriculum” is another top-down educational innovation that will solve many decades of educational decline.  The federal government and the educational elites are already heralding it as the salvation of American educational woes.

Upon entering the White House, each president makes education a high priority.  They act as if they possess the magic to wave their wand to significantly improve the learning of any young citizen. Even though presidents are aware that education is constitutionally a local and state issue, they enter this arena.

These presidents from Reagan’s “Nation at Risk”, Clinton’s “Improving America’s School Act”, George Bush’s “No Child Left Behind”, to President Obama’s “Race to the Top” created their educational initiatives.  After spending billions in taxpayer dollars to make a big splash in the media our educational performance has remained stagnant or has deteriorated. These Washington, D.C. proclamations have not worked. The latest version, “Common Core” is being currently pushed by “Race to the Top” grants, which require states to accept the Common Core curriculum.

This Common Core approach emphasizes a higher-level thinking with little concentration on learning the basic skills. This makes as much sense as asking a student to focus on her acting ability before she learns her lines. The educational standards that emphasize analytical and critical thinking are admirable goals. The concern is the way these are defined and the age at which they must be mastered.

Class discussions with a facilitating teacher to simulate a college classroom may be engaging for some excellent students. It is going to be a horrendous waste of time for middle to low functioning students. They need to fill in their academic gaps. These students without basic skills will never be able to pass entrance exams needed to qualify for higher education. Critical discussions are easier and probably more interesting than rote learning although it is putting the cart before the horse.

The ability to analyze information to arrive at a decision takes certain basic skills and developmental readiness. Jean Piaget, developmental psychologist, noted children were not ready for abstraction before 12 years old. Common Core students are expected to develop these abilities before they are mature enough to do it. This will result in even more disabled students, crushed souls.

Common Core Curriculum is more intrusive into the lives of students than former federal education programs. It sets standards, testing protocol and a defined curriculum for students. The National Center for Educational Statistics, NCES, with other federal agencies intends to collect personal protected data on our children. This data includes religious and political affiliations; attitudes toward sex, non school activities and detailed tracking information on the child’s whereabouts. Mining the “Big Data” by the federal government is an invasion into our children’s and family’s lives. It is ominous to our freedom.

The emphasis on higher level thinking without providing the students the skills to reach them has been the fundamental failure of American education. We are not providing a solid foundation in basic skills. Our reading, writing and math as compared to other nations are pathetically low.

Even if students had mastered these basic skills no citizen would want to give the federal government power to define critical thinking on examinations. Analyzing math and word problems and drawing conclusions is an elementary level of critical thinking. However, in the more subjective social sciences the conclusions drawn are not based on the scientific method. They are directly influenced by one’s premises, which are influenced by moral values. These pseudo science conclusions are based more on ideology than on hard evidence, which can be used as propaganda by the central government.

Unless we accept the fact that each student has to be reached as an individual who has a unique learning style and timetable, we will be developing another curriculum that is destined to fail. A sophisticated cookie cutter will not work any better than a simple one. Educators cannot produce critical thinkers without first motivating the child to grasp the 3Rs.

Teachers need to be aligned with the parents and students of the local community. The most effective educational programs individualize schoolwork for the student. The success of home schooling and private schools demonstrates this reality.  Quality education bubbles up from the local community grass roots, not be imposed from the top.  Government bureaucrats dictating what needs to be taught in our local classrooms will lead to social engineering not independent thinking.

Bureaucrats need to get out of the way to allow administrators and teachers to create individual programs for students.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING IS THE KEY TO INDEPENDENT POWER

INDIVIDUALIZED LEARNING IS THE KEY TO INDEPENDENT POWER

by Domenick J. Maglio PhD Traditional Realist

Children have a natural desire to learn as much as they can. From prenatal to two or three years of age their learning curve is steep. They have to learn language, to control their body motions, how to eat, recognize faces and things, learn to walk, run, become potty trained and understand social cues. These physical and thinking skills are necessary to survive independently.  It is the beginning stage of a human becoming independent.

This period of learning in the past was not done in a sterile daycare environment. It was part of normal interaction between family members. This learning was spontaneously done by observation and mimicking siblings and adults not by a limited daycare curriculum that is rarely implemented.

As the child learns to do more things his chances to survive and succeed in the community rises. As the youngster ages there are more things to learn and master. Learning is a lifelong process that never ends. It just changes its focus.

In primitive societies things were clearly marked out for the child to learn. Even his occupation was passed down in families from parent to child in an apprentice format. Today the choices for a person’s education are nearly endless.  

In modern times teaching has been put in the hands of people other than parents. In the recent past these professional educators have been delegated the power under the state to decide what and how learning should take place. Recently the federal government in conjunction with various states, are once again in the process of accepting new standards, practices and procedures: this time under the “Common Core Curriculum.” This approach will proscribe the time and way particular lessons will be taught.  This will further constrict the freedom of students to develop their unique style of learning.

The natural urge to investigate things to learn has been transferred from the individual and given to the state and educational bureaucrats. This formal hijacking of learning has robbed many children of their motivation to learn.  We are witnessing many bright young people rejecting formal education. These students are careless about their studies because they do not care to please their impersonal teacher or learn what others tell them to learn. They have been robbed of their love of learning.

Many of these turned off students however, are staying up to all hours of the night learning computer games, social networking and/or texting their friends while ignoring their school studies.  These gaming and social activities satisfy the need to do and accomplish in their world.

These students have not bought into the importance of their education.

This artificial separation of the individual's inner motivation to learn to an educational system dictating what to learn is harming our young people's development. They are not learning the everyday lessons that life challenges provide them.  Instead they are isolating themselves in an adolescent culture where they exhaust their energies doing things to establish relationships and pursue their own interests. They are alienated and resentful of authority figures preaching and attempting to control them rather than helping them be independent. 

Children are being held captives of the state educational system until 16 years old. They feel purposeless in an impersonal environment that rarely meets their needs. They are not free to choose the work force to learn new knowledge in a viable trade. There are few apprentice options to gain knowledge from a master to become a productive employee.

Individualized learning for each student can recapture a person's inner urge to learn. As the student progresses weaving his way through his own program, his enthusiasm for learning will eventually increase across the board. It will unleash the power of the interdependent learner to reach his own goals.

Our educational system should encourage the student to become an independent learner, not be crushed by a one-size-fits-all approach to formal learning. By individualizing the course of study for each child the student will build his skills and knowledge according to his own timetable, needs and goals. This will increase his competence and enthusiasm for overall learning. No two people learn in the same manner but most want to be competent in as many areas as possible. The more things we know how to do well, the more power we have to be successful.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

BELIEVING THE CHILD, NOT THE TEACHER

BELIEVING THE CHILD, NOT THE TEACHER

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Times have changed. In the past several decades parents have shifted from having faith in the teacher’s word. Today parents listen to their child’s version of what happened at school as if it is the gospel truth.  This change of attitude of parents is weakening the power and status of teachers.

The parent starts off the communication with the teacher by stating an event that happened at school. The mother does not ask the teacher what took place concerning a specific incident. She acts as if she knows everything as it happened although the information she possesses is only from the child. She has no doubt as to the sequence of events. Rarely it is collaborated by one of the child’s friends.

The teacher is guilty until she proves her innocence while the student is allowed to be judge and jury to the parent. The parent knows the facts before she speaks to the teacher because her child had “truthfully” told her all about the incident. Although like almost all children, the child has lied to the parent on past occasions.

Parents make declarative statements as if they had been watching a surveillance monitor placed in the classroom to follow their child’s every move at school.  The mother thinks she knows the specific facts of the incident before she learns what others involved have to say.

Even if the child is a notorious liar, instigator or outright troublemaker, the modern parent feels compelled to be on the child’s side in calling for a conference. She has heard about teacher mismanagement and even abuse that has happened locally or nationally. These negative school incidents have influenced parents initially to defend their child before learning what actually took place.

Modern parents have become advocates of their child’s behavior outside of the home rather than adults who hold their child accountable for his actions. This change in the attitude of parents has undermined the authority of the teacher, which has weakened the discipline in our schools. Today’s children are not more honest or obedient than children in the past. In most cases they are the opposite.

This is an indictment of our permissive culture. In a similar manner of parents like the parents of the Boston Marathon Bombers and other indisputably cold-blooded killers these mothers have the audacity to speak into the camera and say their angelic child would never do such a horrible thing. These parents think their dramatic statement will exonerate them from any responsibility in raising a sociopathic loser.

Parents are missing the point of being a conscientious parent. It is not to protect the child from legitimate consequences of their behavior. The parents should want a full investigation of what happened at school not just wholeheartedly take their child’s word.

Modern parents are not as wise as parents of the past who wanted authority figures to require the highest behavioral standards to exist outside of the home to establish a safe environment. Instead modern parents are hampering adults from having the authority to do their jobs.

Today’s parents need to stop defending their child before hearing both sides of the story. A school examination of the incident will provide accurate information for the school and parent to develop appropriate consequences for the child’s behavior.

The parents should withhold judgment until all the facts are in and review them. This is especially true since all parents should know that almost all children lie and manipulate others when caught misbehaving. It is in the long-term interest of both parent and child for the student to experience appropriate consequences.

Children know a strong, honest parent will guide them to be a more successful adult than will a weak parent that can be led by the nose to cover for the child’s misdeeds. A parent being an accomplice to the child’s transgressions is a harmful act.

A child will respect their parent more for the effort of getting down to the truth rather than defending him after the child has fed her a line of baloney. Every parent needs to support other authority figures to help to reinforce the development of their child’s strong moral conscience.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

YOU KNOW WHERE THE BODY IS BUT NOT THE HEAD

YOU KNOW WHERE THE BODY IS BUT NOT THE HEAD

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD.  Traditional Realist

Our children’s world has changed. There are few neighborhoods where parents feel comfortable to let their children play outside all day. In many communities there are few same age children nearby to interact with even if the parents were courageous enough to let them go outdoors.

American parents feel guilty that their child has no friends. They believe it is their responsibility to provide their child with the opportunity to be around peers. Their parents chauffeur youngsters to one activity after another. As the child’s interest fades in the newest activity, they move on to another interest, which results in losing old acquaintances and temporarily making others.

In the preteen through early teenage years children have turned towards social media to make contacts.  Due to the lack of friends in the neighborhood friendships made at school are often difficult to carry on after school.  Our modern children have solved this issue through the Internet. Youngsters are involved with virtual relationships.

The parents are delighted with this set up. Children are home safely in their rooms on the computer. These parents may not be as proficient on the Internet as their children but feel comfortable enough that they can access their child’s computer history. Modern parents are well aware with their knowledge of Facebook that they can easily monitor their child’s activity on it. Parents have the ability to control the time their child is allowed to play video games and use the computer.  Most parents feel cyberspace is safer for them than being outside the house in the community.

Parents are being naïve. They should think long and hard about the potential perils of virtual reality.

Incredible advances in technology are making it difficult to keep up with the rapidly evolving computer scene. These ever increasing social media and video games are expanding opportunities for youngsters to hide their postings of “sexting” inappropriate photos and false bios on the Internet.

Recent apps such as Instagram, Kik messenger and Snapchat are just the tip of the iceberg that have unlimited messaging. Many new mobile applications are free and can be used with Kindle Fire or the iPod Touch as long as there is a wireless connection. The proliferation of these apps is making it practically impossible to follow their child’s virtual existence.

The ability to know what your child is doing on electronic devices has become an almost impossible proposition. Presently Apple has over 800,000 apps and Google Play has over 700,000. Youngsters have the ability on Snapchat to send a text photo

that self-destructs in 1-10 seconds after being opened.

There are some physical dangers in the cyberspace world. Perverted individuals can penetrate these social media and appear to be an appealing person to meet the vulnerable youngsters.

Video gaming may keep youngsters off the streets but there is a potential price to pay. These games have reached a level of psychological sophistication that the American Psychological Association is discussing the possibility of including it in the upcoming Diagnostic Statistical Manual V. There is already addiction centers established in Amsterdam, Netherlands to assist youngsters to deal with their addictive gaming. This issue is becoming more pronounced throughout the nation. 

The most common and potentially most damaging consequence of living a virtual life is to the minds of these children. Parents cannot protect or guide their children when they have no idea what they are doing or thinking in world of virtual reality.  The social media readily alters their desires and moral values with strangers and gaming.

Television babysitting impacted the values and expectations of youngsters who passively watched advertisements and programs. Active interacting with others in the social media or playing video games has a far more immediate impact on their thinking, behavior and spirituality. 

Parents, beware these modern electronics are far more dangerous to the soul of the child than getting into a verbal or physical fight with another child.  Significantly limiting the access on the computer may be the only way to insure children’s minds remain open to parental direction and are attuned to the real world not pathetically floating in the dangerous virtual world.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

STATE OWNERSHIP OF CHILDREN WILL IMPROVE EDUCATION

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THE STATE OWNERSHIP OF CHILDREN WILL IMPROVE EDUCATION

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Parenting is not easy. With both parents working, keeping up with their social media and placing their children in many extracurricular activities there is little time for them to have a life of their own. Parents are having a difficult time prioritizing and making time to do their parental duties. 

Today the reality is modern children are basically being raised by our federally controlled education system. Seventeen and a half million students receive free or reduced price lunch each day at school. There are numerous before, after and evening school programs that are taxpayer financed. The government wants children to be in their schools longer than they are at home.

This time of an extraordinary increase in our governmental safety net has made it advantageous to enlarge these programs to include all American citizens. The economy of scale allows for the government to more cheaply provide services than can families. The government’s financial flexibility gives each child equality and opportunity in his world.

Children benefit from the generosity of our central government more than from families. The continued rapid growth of government will produce a country where there will no longer be a difference in finances, nutrition, parental motivation or education level for any child. Privileged children will be all students. The playing field will be leveled for all children giving the state a free hand to better manage them. The state is more effective in arranging students to be cogs in a wheel to better serve.

Schools can more efficiently utilize their existing facilities. The government could extend the school day and year. It could extend the meal programs to weekends to allow everyone the same healthy meals. The weekdays can be extended into the nights.

Even though the positive effects of the Head Start preschool program disappear by the third grade, the government should continue to indoctrinate children and begin even earlier. New infant-toddler programs would allow the state to scientifically train and select children for maximum utilization for the state. The state will place the best people in positions to build a super power nation.

We have increased three fold the funding of education since 1970 and spent more than any other nation in the world except Switzerland, although there has been no improvement. Experts agree with the need to make a greater investment in our children’s education.  Not until American children belong to the state will schools receive sufficient funding to provide real quality education.  

As MSNBC reporter, Melissa Harris-Perry has stated,  "We have never invested as much in public education as we should have because we've always had kind of a private notion of children: Your kid is yours and totally your responsibility. We haven't had a very collective notion of these are our children. So part of it is we have to break through our kind of private idea that kids belong to their parents, or kids belong to their families, and recognize that kids belong to whole communities. Once it's everybody's responsibility, and not just the household's, then we start making better investments."

Americans should remember the great results of the Soviet Union, People’s Chinese Republic and Cuba’s fantastic ability to equally and fairly educate all the children of their nation. We have no other alternative but to follow their successful lead.

 The collective good motivates us to present the children to the state. They will be snatched from the incompetent hands of parents. This will encourage us to make a larger investment in our schools. The family is an obsolescent idea that is dying a quick death.

Each child will have a bright future belonging to the state. Government controlling the children will lead us forward towards a world where equality, fairness and peace will prevail. More productive mind controlling education techniques will enhance and streamline the functioning of our institutions.

Every citizen will be told what and how he must do to aid the state. No longer will false property rights of parents over children stand in the way of government establishing a utopian society.  This society will be implemented by the scientific educational child development from cradle to grave.

We will deserve the total destruction of our families, traditional moral values and freedom if we accept this above propaganda.

STUDENTS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EARNING THEIR DEGREE NOT GIVEN IT

STUDENTS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR EARNING THEIR DEGREE NOT GIVEN IT

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD, Traditional Realist

Money or power does not buy happiness or high grades, although many affluent and minority students are bailed out of irresponsible behavior by their families and/or government programs. There are many times in the beginning school years that inattention, laziness, cheating and misbehavior are overlooked to appease parents. There comes a time when parental power cannot intervene on behalf of the child.

This parental and overall institutional lowering of standards, expectations and lack of meaningful consequences for unacceptable behavior is having negative results on students being able to remain in college. They may pass through high school without  much effort or meet any behavioral standards but they have difficulty remaining in college. Many students believe they are entitled to a college degree without any need to prove it by their academic performance and social appropriateness.

Our modern, overly protective parenting and non-judgmental society has delayed this day of reckoning for too many students. The dumbing down of standards in school through grade inflation, false self-esteem, everybody winning and disregarding outrageous abusive behavior towards others is fostering young people's illusion that they will not be held accountable. Sooner or later an impenetrable wall is reached where parents or bureaucrats are unable to erase the justifiable consequences for young adult’s actions.

A recent study, “More is More, or More is Less?” was published in The American Sociological Review by Laura Hamilton of the University of California, Merced. It found when a major portion of tuition is paid by the parent it leads to lower grades. Students who do not have to contribute to pay for their schooling have less invested in their education and more time and money to become consumed by the social scene.

Taking out $10s of $1000s in loans and scholarships without GPA requirements attached has the same adverse effects as parents being too generous. Hamilton found on the other hand, scholarships and grants contingent on a Grade Point Average requirement to maintain the grant and scholarship money does not negatively affect grades. It motivates students to work harder. Like many things in life, the harder you have to work to obtain your goal, the more you learn and appreciate it.

Students should not believe they are entitled to remain in college just because their parents can easily afford to flip the bill for college or because they are somehow selected to participate in an affirmative action program. These students may be unfortunate to have parent or government program advocates because eventually they will have to perform academically and professionally. Grades should be earned not given to those with powerful family or government ties. We are not a privileged society but one based on merit.

Character and the work ethic do matter. Responsible college professors, employers and judges do make judgments. Eventually, no matter the economic standing or minority status, a person has to demonstrate competency and appropriate social skills. This climb toward excellence takes perseverance

It is best that good work and moral values be established pronto. Delaying the establishing of them by over protective, micromanaging parents, affirmative action short circuiting the system and lax institutional standards is weakening our young people and the overall society.

When a person honestly earns what he receives, everyone gains. The person grows in knowledge and dignity while others receive the pleasure of seeing their child, student, and employee becoming a productive solid citizen of the community.

Receiving a college degree without maintaining high standards of academic excellence and behavior is a disastrous strategy for everyone involved.  Giving someone a valuable degree for not mastering the curriculum is a recipe for corruption. Striving to reach a positive stated goal like a higher education degree strengthens the person’s ability to be independent and a self-reliant citizen who has what is necessary to be a future leader.

Our society has to stop rewarding mediocrity and return to a standard of “nothing but quality effort” to earn recognition and acknowledgement of achievement.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.

OUR PROGRESSIVE RE-EDUCATION IS DESTROYING OUR NATION

OUR PROGRESSIVE RE-EDUCATION IS DESTROYING OUR NATION

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

There is a large influx of well-to-do Russian and Chinese tourists and immigrants into the United States. They have something very much in common. Both are from communist nations that have established a freer market economy. These countries have deregulated their economies to unleash capitalist forces. This has allowed their people to have more money to enjoy an affluent lifestyle, while we are doing the opposite. We are moving to a controlled central economy by repressing and redistributing our material wealth.

Too many of the younger generations are oblivious to this ironic economic reversal. Almost 50% of them believe socialism-communism is superior to capitalism. They have been blinded by years of non-judgmental, politically correct indoctrination in our schools. Our younger generations have lost the knowledge and ability to distinguish between ideological rhetoric and historical fact. 

Our public schools elimination of history, geography, civics, de-emphasis of classical literature and Biblical knowledge has created a knowledge and value vacuum. This makes it almost impossible to rationally judge the results of different values, behaviors and political systems in the past and present.

This value and knowledge gap has been exploited in the public schools and colleges by the introduction of new areas of concern. Diversity, racial/ethnic, reproduction, alternative life styles, social justice, equality, gender inclusion, recycling, multiculturalism, climate change and globalization are courses and concepts that have become staples of American reeducation replacing traditional studies.

This process of dividing into minority groups and conquering process has been radicalized to the point that professors have been emboldened to demand students stomp on the word “Jesus” they had written on a paper, recite poems and songs glorifying particular political leaders and unleashing “academic exercises” blaming America and white American males as the evil doers of every imaginable world problem.

The solution to America’s leadership, according to this new view, is a utopian world based on equality, fairness and redistribution of wealth. These Marxist ideals are supposed to transform countries of the world into peaceful, prosperous countries that will unite into a one-world government.

This is being sold while European socialism is falling apart before our eyes. Their welfare economy is unsustainable because they do not have the treasury to fund their wonderful sounding giveaway programs that end in the people being slaves to the totalitarian governments. 

The United States is going down a path that has repeatedly failed to live up to its promises, while socialist-communist countries are moving towards capitalism. Students have not been taught the historical facts of the Soviet Union's demise, Castro's Cuban dictatorial fiasco and Chavez's plundering of Venezuela's oil resources to remain in office. These are politically incorrect topics. Students remain unaware that these men amassed billions of dollars in their personal accounts while their people live in squalor. Instead students are programmed to accept the slogans of equality and fairness for all as being the salvation of man.

Ignorance of the people is one of the ways evil establishes itself. Our ruling class elites are dumbing down our curriculum to set us up for indoctrination. The lack of verifiable facts and strong moral values to make decisions leaves us no reference point to detect political chicanery.

Our nation is under attack from within. Our most vulnerable: the young and the old are being frightened into accepting a “freedomless” society for the promises of economic prosperity and security. These promises are lies that are not allowed to be challenged in progressive education and the politically correct media.

The welfare state is seductive if one does not realize that all central governments quickly will run out of people to tax. When the economy has no more wealth to redistribute, the young and the old will be the first to suffer and be eliminated. We are beginning to witness this process in late term abortions, “morning after pill” for preteens, infanticide and the withholding of lifesaving health care for the elderly.

Most importantly we must observe the results of political promises and policies. If they consistently have failed to fulfill their hype then we should change directions. Moral values and common sense should prevail. We will not toss away 250 years of freedom and prosperity for a Marxist system doomed to failure.

Our citizens have the advantage over other nations in the past that have allowed Marxist doctrine to get a deadly foothold. We have access to the Internet to study and obtain information that we have been denied in our formal education. It is up to each one of us to self-educate and share our knowledge with others. We have too much to lose to roll over and play dead. Americans will peacefully stand up by the millions refusing to accept our central government elite’s attempt to bypass our Constitution. We The People have the power and duty to halt the brainwashing of our children and put our house back in order.

Dr. Maglio is an author and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.