“Common Core-aligned” has become the quality control test by which we measure a legitimate education. A quick Google search will reveal droves of businesses selling academic resources and programs on the basis of their “alignment.” Teachers are feeling constant pressure to “hit the standards,” standards that are meant to get everyone on the same page. And yet, I think the majority of people are unclear what these standards are or why they are the new holy grail. Common sense tells us there has got to be a simpler, sounder way to educate our kids. Perhaps, common sense, which by definition is clear and sensible to most, would make a much better marker for a solid education.  

What would common sense-aligned learning look like? First, it would not strictly adhere to dozens of tedious standards. Common sense tells us that it is not possible or advisable to hold everyone to an exhaustive list of expectations that they cannot even remember. Instead, a common sense-aligned education would embrace a handful of fundamental self-evident truths about learning and human nature. To follow will be a series of posts highlighting basic tenets that I personally believe are at the real common core of an enduring education. But first, what would your Common Sense Standards for education be?

(See the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth Common Sense Standards.)