The Common Core standards are now available on line. Many have called them confusing and complicated. Some English teachers object to the move away from literature and the replacement with "informational texts." Although there are no hard and fast rules for using the texts suggested in the Appendices of the Common Core document, it would only make sense for teachers to adopt the suggested readings, because they will be teaching to a test, so why would they deviate from what the testers suggest?
When you examine some of the English Language "text exemplars" for high school students, it is clear they have definite political agendas. One of the informational texts, called "The Cost Conundrum: What a Texas Town Can Teach Us About Health Care," is really a call for a universal government-run healthcare system. Another one is the text of a presidential mandate that all government agendas become "sustainable" entities. The Standards promote controversial scientific ideas. Another of the informational articles asserts that no one is better to be "accountable" for the "totality of care" than the federal government."
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Further Reading: Common Core