What We're Reading: The Common Core as cure for loneliness

  • A provocative claim: The Common Core’s real problem is that people fear loneliness. (New York Times)
  • A high school teacher describes how he motivated students to tackle a seemingly insurmountable obstacle: an essay test. (Yo Mista!)
  • A special ed teacher says he’d be a better judge of his students’ progress than a test they can’t pass. (Mr. Foteah)
  • Diane Ravitch: Mayor de Blasio’s missteps have guaranteed a new chapter in the city’s tale of two school systems. (New York Review of Books)
  • The principal of a civics-oriented school in Jackson Heights is facing a new challenge: managing two buildings. (DNAInfo)
  • A mom shares her struggle with making peace when her toddler doesn’t get into preschool. (Motherlode)
  • Two authors of the Common Core say the standards aren’t the issue with a tricky math question that has gone viral. (Hechinger Report)
  • An N.C. father, describing his son’s struggles with Common Core-aligned math homework, says the new standards could exacerbate the “mile wide, inch deep” problem. (Jeff Severt Facebook)
  • Paging Carmen Fariña: A Wisconsin teacher outlines how she brought joy to her classroom. (Pernille Ripp)
  • Finland has a single standardized test, for college entrance. Here’s what it looks like. (Answer Sheet)
  • The publishing website Medium is running a contest to reward the best college application essay. (Medium)
  • The Chicago principal who is featured in a national miniseries said participating was an easy choice. (Huffington Post)
  • In 14 states that allow vouchers, taxpayer money is supporting private schools that teach creationism. (Politico)
  • And here are questions that the Politico story on creationism-teaching schools didn’t answer. (Eduwonk)
  • The essay portion of Florida’s new state tests will be scored by computer. (StateImpact Florida)