Analysis Of Quarrel Over Common Core: A Pennsylvania Primer By Randy Kraft

In the article, “Quarrel over Common Core: A Pennsylvania Primer” by Randy Kraft (2014), Common Core and the controversy surrounding it are discussed heavily. Kraft’s thesis is to inform the audience about Common Core and explain, impartially, the arguments for and against it. In 2010, Pennsylvania took on the Common Core Standards. These standards were put in place to ensure that students of Pennsylvania were on the same academic level by graduation, and enable them to be better equipped to compete in a global marketplace (p. 1). Despite the well-meaning of such educational standards and the statements from Kraft, Common Core is more harmful than helpful overall for teachers and students alike.

The Common Core was established due to a number of concerns in the U.S. The high

Additionally, the United States ranked twelfth in college completion rates, a drastic decline for the former global leader of college completion (Kraft, 2014, p. 5). Pennsylvania adopted the original Common Core Standards at first, but then switched to their own state-specific version. The Pennsylvania academic standards are very similar to the Common Core. As stated by Kraft (2014), the PA Common Core is about 90% of the original Common Core (p.2). Overall, the standards emphasize all the knowledge and skills that students need to succeed in the future. The most concerning aspect of these educational guidelines is the potential loss of control for teachers, parents, and, on a larger scale, school districts. “When the PA core standards-- which are the same as Common Core, are invoked,” says Richard Felice, one of the founders of Pennsylvanians Against Common