In education, satire is obsolete (Alfie Kohn)

Quite a few people who reacted to my post (see below) thought it was real. It wasn't. It was an attempt at satire. Part of its failure was my fault, for not making it clear that it was satire. And part was the situation we are now living in, a situation so bizarre that this kind of announcement is believable. The reaction confirms Alfie Kohn's statement: In education, satire is now obsolete.

The post was inspired by the news that 69% of Californians said they liked the Common Core standards after hearing a brief statement about them. The statement said only that they "are designed to ensure that students graduating from high school have the knowledge and skills they need to enter college programs or the workforce." I'm surprised anybody would object.

I owe more than a hat-tip to Andy Borowitz, who writes amazing political satire. Follow him on borowitzreport.com.

OVERWHELMING SUPPORT FOR THE COMMON CORE!!!

There is now no doubt: Americans overwhelmingly support the common core. In a poll organized by the Pearson Publishing Company, 96% strongly agreed with the statement, "Schools should teach important things." By a wide margin, those surveyed also agreed that "teachers should help students learn stuff."

Education Secretary Arne Duncan announed that "This poll is a real-game changer. Despite the complaints of nay-sayers, the public has finally got the message about the common core."

In a separate poll carried out among staff members of the US Department of Education, 92% demonstrated their familiarity with learning theory, responding that they recognized the name "Piaget." Of those who did, however, 82% associated the name with a watch company.

(Hat-tip: Andy Borowitz)