Overwhelmingly, the media portrays an American public that has rejected Common Core on the premise that it revokes states’ autonomy in policy making and on the harmful effects of high-stakes assessment on students, teachers, and schools. Common Sense about the Common Core offers readers the less-often shared perspective: that Common Core Standards and accompanying accountability measures are what are most needed in education reform. In contrast to its title, however, this book does not attempt to overcome education’s politics so much as seek to replace them with a different set of ideologies. These are defined by critical mistrust of those charged with educating the nation’s youth: teachers, teachers' unions, teacher preparation programs, school administrators, politicians, and even parents, whom the author has deemed misinformed about Common Core. The argument is clearly written, complete with a bulleted summary of main points at the end of each chapter and italicized key ideas throughout. . . .Summing Up:Recommended. Researchers, faculty, general readers.
