The Patriots and the Common Core

The Boston Globe sports section has featured a number of stories this week about coaches and players and a clear and common theme is that these guys work really hard and are very smart.   The assistant coaches have a combined 162 years of experience, the team holds more meetings (spending more time on strategy, presumably) than any other NFL team, and has a defensive coordinator who is a rocket scientist (Matt Patricia holds a degree in aeronautical engineering from RPI).  Any team can draft smart players, work hard, expect and reward excellence and produce outstanding results.  Just because the Patriots do it consistently doesn’t mean they accomplish that feat by cutting corners.  The whiners might do better to focus on their own work ethic (or lack thereof) rather than wasting energy on specious accusations.

There are remarkable parallels between the treatment the Patriots have received on occasion over the years, and especially in the past two weeks, and the attacks on the Common Core State Standards.   In both cases, critics persist in advancing opinions about process and content as if these are facts, even when substantive evidence is presented (whether by Bill Belechick‘s physics lesson or by independent fact checking) that proves these assertions are false. Conspiracy theories are circulated despite the fact that, in the case of the standards, theprocess of developing the CCSS was absolutely a voluntary collaboration of states involving hundreds of educators and experts years before the federal government encouraged the move to college and career ready standards through the Race to the Top competitive grants.   MBAE has repeatedly provided commentary and information in this space to provide documented evidence of the facts about the Common Core State Standards, adopted by Massachusetts in 2010 and integrated in to ourMassachusetts Curriculum Frameworks since 2011.  We’ll continue to do so, and support the original 2008 goal to “upgrade state standards by adopting a common core of internationally benchmarked standards in math and language arts for grades K-12 to ensure that students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to be globally competitive.”

Whether supporting the highest standards for our children, or rooting for the New England Patriots, the common element is aiming high and striving to be the best!  Promoting and admiring positive achievements – whether in sport or any other endeavor –  does not mean failing to recognize flaws, but this can be done in a constructive manner that doesn’t denigrate positive achievements.  It is critical we remember that our behavior and attitudes are models for our children – let’s teach them to value and embrace excellence!  Go Pats!