Point/counterpoint on the Common Core

This month's edition of Commonwealth magazine has Commissioner Mitchell Chester defending the Common Core, Jim Stergios of the Pioneer Institute attacking it, and then each going for another round. Gets surprisingly personal towards the end.

As it happens, I think they're both partly wrong--the Mass Standards were stronger and it was a political move; the dependence on the MCAS has not made us a stronger state academically--but this is the second time recently I've seen Chester being somewhat defensive about the academics of the choices made.

Also, it was recently called to my attention that the BBC noted back in February that the UK Education Secretary was basing their system off of the Massachusetts system--the one we had before the Common Core.