QOD: on the new "punching bag" in ed policy, otherwise known as the "Common Core"

The Common Core, writes Evan Stone, former elementary teacher and founder of Educators for Excellence, is "not a curriculum" and "it doesn't tell teachers how to teach":

The Common Core is not a prescription for more testing nor does it raise the stakes of testing. Yes, students are experiencing more assessments this year — but that’s the result of a new teacher-evaluation system that aims to track the progress educators are making with their students...

Finally, the Common Core doesn’t stifle teacher creativity — it does the opposite. Because the standards shy away from rote memorization and other mind-numbing approaches our schools have employed for decades, teachers have the opportunity to dig deep into a subject with their students...In a recent poll, the National Education Association found nearly 75 percent of teachers said they support the Common Core. When so many educators can agree on something, then it must be worth pursuing.