Common Core boondoggle

The informational forum on Common Core Standards reminded me of the health-care debate, when Nancy Pelosi famously said, "We have to pass it to find out what's in it."

The meeting started with a speaker and videos. Honestly, the sound quality was so bad, I felt like I was in an echo chamber with the bass turned up. Surely, with the money we spend on education, we could have found a room with good acoustics.

We were allowed to ask questions at our table but very few answers were given. Facilitators, teachers and administrators told us to check the [Department of Elementary and Secondary Education] website where they would post the answers. Really? The proponents of this monstrosity could not answer our questions?

The key words spoken about CCS were "fewer, higher, clearer." Catchy but very vague. Another key phrase, "The curriculum will be more rigorous," was said many times. Actually, by the end of the evening, I felt the stages of rigor mortis.

But as we all know, saying something and actually doing it are two different things. Common Core seems like another boondoggle of a plan coming from the national level that will cost plenty but has not been proven to increase college readiness.

CCS will indoctrinate our children into leftist ideology that is so prevalent in our college education departments.

So, despite evidence that anything federalized really becomes a cavern of abuse and waste, our administrative educators have signed onto it lock, stock and barrel. Why? Money and power -- simple as that.

GENE REUTZEL, Cape Girardeau