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Rotten to the (Common) Core: Public Schooling, Standardized Tests, and the Surveillance State
Joseph P. Farrell, well known for his widely-discussed investigations on contemporary banks and ruling structures, co-writes this fascinating book regarding contemporary schooling with long-time New York state instructor Gary Lawrence. Say Farrell and Standardized Testing in America has a troubled history. Its agenda has long remained veiled behind "expert opinions" and "latest studies." The future of American education stands in a tradition of social engineering, data mining, pseudo-psychology, and dumbing down classroom strategies. Common Core promises great advances though its true benefits are monetary ones for software companies and partner politicians. It it is our contention that the goal of Common Core, or rather, of its assessment process, is nothing less than a massive addition to the power of the surveillance state, to the privileged corporations destined to manage it, to the further drastic curtailment of our civil liberties, and to the eventual inhibition of any individual creativity, genius, responsibility, and any general or popular intellectual culture resulting from them. Our argument is different than that leveled by many critics against the Common Core standards, for our focus is thus not upon pedagogy, or content but rather upon its assessment process and its implicit consequences for parents, students, and the teaching profession. Our goal is to stimulate not only discussion of Common Core's radical agenda for the consolidation of the surveillance state, but for its ultimate rejection.
200 pages, Paperback
First published August 9, 2016
14 people are currently reading
276 people want to read
About the author
Joseph P. Farrell
65 books241 followersJoseph P. Farrell is a recognized scholar whose credentials include a Doctor of Patristics degree from the University of Oxford. His literary contribution is a veritable résumé unto itself covering such fields as Nazi Germany, Sacred Literature, physics, finances, the Giza pyramids, and music theory. His latest book is Genes, Giants, Monsters, and Men: The Surviving Elites of the Cosmic War and Their Hidden Agenda. Earlier books include:
The Giza Death Star (2001)
The Giza Death Star Deployed (2003)
Reich of the Black Sun (2004)
The Giza Death Star Destroyed (2005)
The SS Brotherhood of the Bell (2006)
The Cosmic War (2007)
Secrets of the Unified Field (2008)
The Nazi International (2008)
The Philosophers' Stone (2009)
Babylon's Banksters (2010)
Roswell and the Reich (2010)
LBJ and the Conspiracy to Kill Kennedy (2010)
Genes, Giants, Monsters, and Men (2011)
The Giza Death Star (2001)
The Giza Death Star Deployed (2003)
Reich of the Black Sun (2004)
The Giza Death Star Destroyed (2005)
The SS Brotherhood of the Bell (2006)
The Cosmic War (2007)
Secrets of the Unified Field (2008)
The Nazi International (2008)
The Philosophers' Stone (2009)
Babylon's Banksters (2010)
Roswell and the Reich (2010)
LBJ and the Conspiracy to Kill Kennedy (2010)
Genes, Giants, Monsters, and Men (2011)
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 20, 2016
Get ready for a wild ride! In ROTTEN TO THE (COMMON) CORE, Dr. Joseph P. Farrell presents a wide-ranging criticism of the current trend in standardized testing. This book is sure to ignite lots of fiery debate. In presenting his case, the author writes passionately, an offers up enough to probably offend everyone.
The author is clearly a brilliant man, and this book reflects his genius. One should not be too quick to just discard these ideas as some fringe ramblings, because they are not.
Much of the first half of this book is dedicated to documenting the motivation of those who advocate standardized testing. The author quotes at length from books critical of the process. I found these sections not easy going.
I also found the writing style tough to follow, not helped by awkward section titles. One example: “The Business Model” of Billionaire Busybodies: Foundations and the Educational-Industrial Complex.
I thought at first that the author was objecting to the Common Core standards--but that's not his point. Rather, it's the EVALUATION process that is suspect. After all, the outcome can only be as good as the test evaluators. Even if it's computerized, that simply means it's a reflection of the programmer's opinion. "The problem with Common Core, once again, is the assessment process behind it, and the further empowerment of un-accountable 'experts' designing its adaptive assessment process.
The author cites several cases where brilliant students are actually be at a disadvantage, since they know more than the test preparer. Then, it becomes a game of what answer is WANTED, not what answer is correct. In other words, the tests serve to "dumb down" the student, not advance critical thinking.
The testing industry has a blemished--and sometimes self-serving past. Dr. Farrell cites the case of the test grader who gave EVERYONE a "2" and got away with it.
"The whole apparatus of modern American education, from its colleges of “education” to its teacher certification, to its standardized, and now individually adapted computerized, assessments are not about imparting the academic contents of disciplines, nor about logic, reason, morality, or the inculcation of individual virtue and responsibility. It is really about socialization and about method..."
The author laments the demise of critical thinking, replaced by a drone-like recitation of what the answer is SUPPOSED to be. We are creating a student body of test-takers and internet copy-and-pasters, not thinkers: "Critical thinking, once the aim of education, is as passé as chalk and student chalkboards. The student brain is trained by ritual and practice in the art of mental submission; the student’s brain is a modern servant collecting and recycling the superior electronic brain’s information."
Despite all the harsh criticism of the establishment teaching structure, the author is really a kind man at heart. His harsh criticism of the testing industry and student "molders" is a point worthy of discussion. Should we extend the school day to get better numbers? "We must ask, as a society built on the family at the core of instruction in formal education and morality, whether time at the table with the family for dinner or time together on weekends, or setting aside a day for worship, is to be replaced by a child sitting with an open book for hours after school, on weekends, and more often than not falling asleep without having had family time, personal downtime, and mental rest?"
I found the last part of the book the best part. Here, Dr. Farrell critiques suggestions on how to improve the state of education. Very few ideas passed muster.
So, the author wonders, is Common Core really rotten? Indeed it is, he answers. Instead of critical thinking, we are fostering a generation of copy-and-pasters, evaluated by the anonymous elite of educational "commissars."
So all, in all, I found ROTTEN TO THE (COMMON) CORE to be a wild ride indeed. Reading this book takes a lot of effort. The author's genius for education comes through loud and clear. I don't know if Dr. Farrell is still teaching. If he is, I would be the first in line to send my kid to study under him.
Advance Review Copy courtesy of Edelweiss Book Distributors.
The author is clearly a brilliant man, and this book reflects his genius. One should not be too quick to just discard these ideas as some fringe ramblings, because they are not.
Much of the first half of this book is dedicated to documenting the motivation of those who advocate standardized testing. The author quotes at length from books critical of the process. I found these sections not easy going.
I also found the writing style tough to follow, not helped by awkward section titles. One example: “The Business Model” of Billionaire Busybodies: Foundations and the Educational-Industrial Complex.
I thought at first that the author was objecting to the Common Core standards--but that's not his point. Rather, it's the EVALUATION process that is suspect. After all, the outcome can only be as good as the test evaluators. Even if it's computerized, that simply means it's a reflection of the programmer's opinion. "The problem with Common Core, once again, is the assessment process behind it, and the further empowerment of un-accountable 'experts' designing its adaptive assessment process.
The author cites several cases where brilliant students are actually be at a disadvantage, since they know more than the test preparer. Then, it becomes a game of what answer is WANTED, not what answer is correct. In other words, the tests serve to "dumb down" the student, not advance critical thinking.
The testing industry has a blemished--and sometimes self-serving past. Dr. Farrell cites the case of the test grader who gave EVERYONE a "2" and got away with it.
"The whole apparatus of modern American education, from its colleges of “education” to its teacher certification, to its standardized, and now individually adapted computerized, assessments are not about imparting the academic contents of disciplines, nor about logic, reason, morality, or the inculcation of individual virtue and responsibility. It is really about socialization and about method..."
The author laments the demise of critical thinking, replaced by a drone-like recitation of what the answer is SUPPOSED to be. We are creating a student body of test-takers and internet copy-and-pasters, not thinkers: "Critical thinking, once the aim of education, is as passé as chalk and student chalkboards. The student brain is trained by ritual and practice in the art of mental submission; the student’s brain is a modern servant collecting and recycling the superior electronic brain’s information."
Despite all the harsh criticism of the establishment teaching structure, the author is really a kind man at heart. His harsh criticism of the testing industry and student "molders" is a point worthy of discussion. Should we extend the school day to get better numbers? "We must ask, as a society built on the family at the core of instruction in formal education and morality, whether time at the table with the family for dinner or time together on weekends, or setting aside a day for worship, is to be replaced by a child sitting with an open book for hours after school, on weekends, and more often than not falling asleep without having had family time, personal downtime, and mental rest?"
I found the last part of the book the best part. Here, Dr. Farrell critiques suggestions on how to improve the state of education. Very few ideas passed muster.
So, the author wonders, is Common Core really rotten? Indeed it is, he answers. Instead of critical thinking, we are fostering a generation of copy-and-pasters, evaluated by the anonymous elite of educational "commissars."
So all, in all, I found ROTTEN TO THE (COMMON) CORE to be a wild ride indeed. Reading this book takes a lot of effort. The author's genius for education comes through loud and clear. I don't know if Dr. Farrell is still teaching. If he is, I would be the first in line to send my kid to study under him.
Advance Review Copy courtesy of Edelweiss Book Distributors.
February 20, 2020
Rotten to the (Common) Core by Dr. Joseph P. Farrell and Gary Lawrence is a sobering, honest, unique and yet much needed foray into the topic of Common Core.
The main strength of this book is that it doesn’t fall for – as the authors note – the ever-present red herring regarding this topic, which is that of focusing on the Common Core curriculum standards, but instead goes beyond that and delves deeper into the inner workings and the “follow-up assessment (testing) process)”.
This is quite notable, because unless the populace realizes what the true issues are at hand, the problems we face concerning this growing dilemma cannot be solved to their fullest extent.
In a sense, this book is about the multi-tiered approach by the Edu-garchy (the authors words) which encompass a “complex interlocking network of foundations, professional groups, government agencies, testing services and corporations” that stand to benefit greatly in many ways from the implementation of Common Core in all its noxious glory.
Noted cogently by the authors, they remark that most of the greatest minds of all time, such as Plato, Tesla, Da Vinci, Dostoyevsky, Mozart, et al., not only weren’t privy to our modern education system, but they thrived without it. However, instead of society proceeding with the classical education model that helped many great minds of the past excel, for various reasons we’re fast approaching a time of hyper-homogenization of society while also dumbing down society at an immense scale.
The authors incisively note the implications:
“The historical record indicates that, if anything, the implicit collectivist impulse in standardized testing stands in stark contrast to the basic values of individual genius and responsibility that formed the central core of the founding of the republic itself.”[1][Bold & Underline Emphasis Added].
Farrell and Lawrence promptly proceed through the bowels of Common Core by beginning with an examination of whistleblower testimony from within the belly of the beast.
From there, various examples of standardized testing are gone through with a fine-toothed comb outlining their inherent flaws of such tests. They also delving into some of the more disturbing elements that will no doubt leave the reader aghast that some “test questions” are even allowed to see the light of day, given that as the authors troublingly show, that in some cases there are vacillating metrics taking place on standardized testing. No, this is not said in jest! That’s how ridiculous some of the testing metrics are.
Regarding the standardized testing, the authors home in keenly:
“…such tests in the end punish, rather than reward, real ability, with the end result that such tests really measure the ability of an individual to conform to the outlook and interests of the elites composing such tests…”[2][Bold & Underline Emphasis Added].
Thankfully, the authors also touch upon the troubling issue regarding the veritable attack on individuals, their creative potential, and how the system is being set up to establish conformity from every angle imaginable.
Later on, the authors sink their teeth into various components that encompass the edu-garchy in manifesting this top-down educational control/conformity system: the foundations, the agenda pushers and dogma.
The authors even touch upon the fact that at certain points in history comptrollers even bought into their own propaganda, which might be hard to fathom to some, but goes to show the irony of the matter, and how in the effort to dumb down the populace, some of them became dumbed down themselves.
Likewise, the enormous power that foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates, et al., wield in the social engineering of individuals cannot be overstated. These institutions as they currently operate are a true antithesis to freedom, individuality and progress. Folks need to be weary of such foundations as they wield power far beyond their manipulative wholesome appearance.
Other disturbing aspects the authors shed light on regarding Common Core not only include the revolving door between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Educational Establishment, but also the connection of to the CIA, mind control and MK Ultra.
While Farrell’s other books will undoubtedly get more attention, this is arguably one of the most important book he and his co-author Laurence have penned, given that it centers upon the top-down educational control grid that has been and will continue to be foisted upon the populace if action is not taken by individuals to educate themselves in core subjects involved in the Trivium, Quadrivium, and more. Topics like the Nazis, Breakaway Civilizations, Ancient Antiquity, Alternative History, et al., won’t matter if people are too dumb down to be able to understand them, their context, and deeper implications. This is why it’s imperative for individuals not only to refuse in every way shape and form this incoming wave of conforming social engineering, but to also strive to further their education away from the current one-size-fits-all system that seeks to dumb people down, as works from Gatto and others has noted.
Regarding our plight, the authors note that Common Core is:
“…a deliberate plan against liberty and intellectual and pedagogical freedom. In short, the Common Core assessment process and its implicit philosophy and cosmology are nothing but a conspiracy against the individual, and his or her own humanity, genius, and aspirations.”[3]
Common Core is one component of the Full Spectrum Dominance humanity is facing, and individuals need to be cognizant of what is taking place in order to not get swept by the tide. The only way that takes place is by making sure the education of our kith and kin does not get hijacked permanently. This book goes a long way in showing the reader how that will take place if we remain stagnant. That alone is worth the price of the book.
________________________
Author’s Note:
Rotten To The (Common) Core touches upon social engineering quite often. Given that, a book that might be of interest for many of you is Daniel Estulin’s seminal book Tavistock Institute: Social Engineering the Masses. It’s a fascinating though disturbing foray into many facets of social engineering that are currently taking place in order to enact control upon individuals.
________________________
Source:
[1] Dr. Joseph P. Farrell and Gary Lawrence, Rotten to the (Common) Core, pg. 5.
[2] Ibid., Pg. 57.
[3] Ibid., Pg. xviii
The main strength of this book is that it doesn’t fall for – as the authors note – the ever-present red herring regarding this topic, which is that of focusing on the Common Core curriculum standards, but instead goes beyond that and delves deeper into the inner workings and the “follow-up assessment (testing) process)”.
This is quite notable, because unless the populace realizes what the true issues are at hand, the problems we face concerning this growing dilemma cannot be solved to their fullest extent.
In a sense, this book is about the multi-tiered approach by the Edu-garchy (the authors words) which encompass a “complex interlocking network of foundations, professional groups, government agencies, testing services and corporations” that stand to benefit greatly in many ways from the implementation of Common Core in all its noxious glory.
Noted cogently by the authors, they remark that most of the greatest minds of all time, such as Plato, Tesla, Da Vinci, Dostoyevsky, Mozart, et al., not only weren’t privy to our modern education system, but they thrived without it. However, instead of society proceeding with the classical education model that helped many great minds of the past excel, for various reasons we’re fast approaching a time of hyper-homogenization of society while also dumbing down society at an immense scale.
The authors incisively note the implications:
“The historical record indicates that, if anything, the implicit collectivist impulse in standardized testing stands in stark contrast to the basic values of individual genius and responsibility that formed the central core of the founding of the republic itself.”[1][Bold & Underline Emphasis Added].
Farrell and Lawrence promptly proceed through the bowels of Common Core by beginning with an examination of whistleblower testimony from within the belly of the beast.
From there, various examples of standardized testing are gone through with a fine-toothed comb outlining their inherent flaws of such tests. They also delving into some of the more disturbing elements that will no doubt leave the reader aghast that some “test questions” are even allowed to see the light of day, given that as the authors troublingly show, that in some cases there are vacillating metrics taking place on standardized testing. No, this is not said in jest! That’s how ridiculous some of the testing metrics are.
Regarding the standardized testing, the authors home in keenly:
“…such tests in the end punish, rather than reward, real ability, with the end result that such tests really measure the ability of an individual to conform to the outlook and interests of the elites composing such tests…”[2][Bold & Underline Emphasis Added].
Thankfully, the authors also touch upon the troubling issue regarding the veritable attack on individuals, their creative potential, and how the system is being set up to establish conformity from every angle imaginable.
Later on, the authors sink their teeth into various components that encompass the edu-garchy in manifesting this top-down educational control/conformity system: the foundations, the agenda pushers and dogma.
The authors even touch upon the fact that at certain points in history comptrollers even bought into their own propaganda, which might be hard to fathom to some, but goes to show the irony of the matter, and how in the effort to dumb down the populace, some of them became dumbed down themselves.
Likewise, the enormous power that foundations such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates, et al., wield in the social engineering of individuals cannot be overstated. These institutions as they currently operate are a true antithesis to freedom, individuality and progress. Folks need to be weary of such foundations as they wield power far beyond their manipulative wholesome appearance.
Other disturbing aspects the authors shed light on regarding Common Core not only include the revolving door between the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Educational Establishment, but also the connection of to the CIA, mind control and MK Ultra.
While Farrell’s other books will undoubtedly get more attention, this is arguably one of the most important book he and his co-author Laurence have penned, given that it centers upon the top-down educational control grid that has been and will continue to be foisted upon the populace if action is not taken by individuals to educate themselves in core subjects involved in the Trivium, Quadrivium, and more. Topics like the Nazis, Breakaway Civilizations, Ancient Antiquity, Alternative History, et al., won’t matter if people are too dumb down to be able to understand them, their context, and deeper implications. This is why it’s imperative for individuals not only to refuse in every way shape and form this incoming wave of conforming social engineering, but to also strive to further their education away from the current one-size-fits-all system that seeks to dumb people down, as works from Gatto and others has noted.
Regarding our plight, the authors note that Common Core is:
“…a deliberate plan against liberty and intellectual and pedagogical freedom. In short, the Common Core assessment process and its implicit philosophy and cosmology are nothing but a conspiracy against the individual, and his or her own humanity, genius, and aspirations.”[3]
Common Core is one component of the Full Spectrum Dominance humanity is facing, and individuals need to be cognizant of what is taking place in order to not get swept by the tide. The only way that takes place is by making sure the education of our kith and kin does not get hijacked permanently. This book goes a long way in showing the reader how that will take place if we remain stagnant. That alone is worth the price of the book.
________________________
Author’s Note:
Rotten To The (Common) Core touches upon social engineering quite often. Given that, a book that might be of interest for many of you is Daniel Estulin’s seminal book Tavistock Institute: Social Engineering the Masses. It’s a fascinating though disturbing foray into many facets of social engineering that are currently taking place in order to enact control upon individuals.
________________________
Source:
[1] Dr. Joseph P. Farrell and Gary Lawrence, Rotten to the (Common) Core, pg. 5.
[2] Ibid., Pg. 57.
[3] Ibid., Pg. xviii
February 23, 2021
One question: Why is it that I never hear anything *good* about Common Core? (I don't even like multiple choice tests.)
Some authors take on the curriculum that is presented by Common Core, and other such monstrosities from the past. (New Math is a good way to teach computers about math. Humans, not so much. And, BTW, I teach math at the college level, so I'm not among the "I hate math" crowd.)
The authors focus on the evaluation process and supply some stories about how arbitrary the process is. (They cite Todd Farley's Making the Grades, which probably contains more.) And then they make an observation that is worth putting in all caps: IF YOU TEACH STUDENTS TO PASS THE TEST, THEY WILL ONLY LEARN HOW TO PASS TESTS. Even the inventor of the SAT points this out (one of many unpleasant facts included in this book).
Some authors take on the curriculum that is presented by Common Core, and other such monstrosities from the past. (New Math is a good way to teach computers about math. Humans, not so much. And, BTW, I teach math at the college level, so I'm not among the "I hate math" crowd.)
The authors focus on the evaluation process and supply some stories about how arbitrary the process is. (They cite Todd Farley's Making the Grades, which probably contains more.) And then they make an observation that is worth putting in all caps: IF YOU TEACH STUDENTS TO PASS THE TEST, THEY WILL ONLY LEARN HOW TO PASS TESTS. Even the inventor of the SAT points this out (one of many unpleasant facts included in this book).
November 10, 2024
This book would have benefitted from an editor, but overall the ideas in it were very thought provoking. It's not the standards necessarily that make Common Core dystopian, but the method of standardize testing that is less-than-standardized and classifies children in groups based on ability. I recognized a lot of what's going on today even though it was written almost 10 years ago- it is ahead of its time.
March 25, 2017
Instructive as to the illogicism of the unanswerable test question presented for "analysis" and "data metrics" by test creators.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews