Thomas Wolf perpetuates the false claims of teacher “inclusion” in the Common Core state standards (“Another View: Teachers were not excluded from the development of Common Core,” Jan. 11).

Teacher participation was never seriously considered by the standards’ drafters. The standards were drafted by a private group headed by David Coleman, who bragged about having no background in teaching, and a team of 24 individuals who were connected to the testing industry. None were public school teachers at the time of drafting.

The effort was funded by Bill Gates, who has spent nearly $2 billion on public relations and lobbying for Common Core. The standards are under a copyright that is owned by two private foundations.

Validation committees were established to vet the standards, each headed by a recognized leader in English and math standards for Massachusetts and California. Both heads quit in protest over the standards’ poor quality.

The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers endorsed the standards after each receiving multimillion-dollar grants from Gates. Many rank-and-file teachers have objected to the endorsements. The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and National Council of Teachers of English don’t represent public school teachers.

Feedback is not participation unless it’s taken seriously. Many teachers who participated in the “feedback” found their observations and recommendations ignored when they disagreed with the standards. Cherry-picking only the favorable “feedback” is not inclusion.

Teacher and parent resistance to the standards is strong and growing as they live with the standards. Gov. LePage is right to demand that Maine exit Common Core and develop its own standards. We must stop wasting time and money on Common Core.

David Lentini

North Berwick


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