All we got out of the Common Core 'symposium' was a one-sided presentation

The January 13th Common Core "symposium" at the legislature didn't go off quite as advertised. The announcement posted by organizer Ann Bedarski on the Nevada Trends website listed the Department of Education participants as:

JUDY OSGOOD, Public Information Officer, Nevada Department of Educa_on
STEVE CANAVERO, Deputy Superintendent of Student Achievement, NDE
AMY SALGO, Teacher Ambassador, NDE
MARISSA McCLISH, Teacher Ambassador, NDE

Then the story on the Nevada Journal website listed the NDE participants as:

STEVE CANAVERO, deputy superintendent of student achievement
CINDY SHARP, Director, NDE Office of Standards & Instructional Support
DAVE BRANCAMP, Assistant Director, NDE Office of Standards & Instructional Support

The Nevada Journal story went on to say...

NDE spokeswoman Judy Osgood told Nevada Journal that officials from NDE will use this “unique opportunity for teachers from Reno, Fallon and Carson City to discuss how the standards are working in Nevada classrooms and answer questions parents or lawmakers may have.”

That did not happen, thanks to the moderator allowing Dr. Stotsky to shout Dr. Canavero down and demand that only two NDE officials, administrators and teacher ambassadors be allowed to speak. I later asked the moderator (Ron Smith of the Kiwanis Club) why he allowed that happen. He said he had asked for a ruling from a woman "on the committee" and was instructed not to allow Dr. Canavero to yield his time to Susan Keema, Associate Superintendent of the Carson City School District. I asked who or what gave that "committee" any authority to make up such rulings. He didn't know. He just assumed that he was there to officiate on behalf of the organizing committee. That was clearly not the case. Mr. Smith was there to officiate on behalf of the hosting legislator, Assemblyman PK O'Neill, yet according to the Nevada Journal...

Assemblyman O’Neill minimizes his role as just providing “a name” to assist Bednarski with getting the legislative building site and live streaming to Las Vegas. However, he says he “felt there [were] some legitimate questions not being answered,” and that these forums would “provide an opportunity to finally have questions answered by the Nevada Department of Education.”

After two hours of political theater, it wasn't at all clear what the "legitimate questions" Mr. O'Neill wanted NDE officials to answer were. He asked no questions, in fact he spent much of the time Dr. Canavero was speaking outside the room. Meanwhile, the meeting he was supposed to be hosting was hijacked by Dr. Stotsky while the moderator allowed the would-be "symposium" to be turned into a political rally with a very angry and ugly atmosphere.

Nobody, including Mr. O'Neill, learned anything about Nevada's implementation of Common Core standards from the January 13th fiasco. It wasn't a serious symposium at all, it was at best an anti-Common Core pep rally, at worst an illegal fundraiser. Yes, the anti-Common Core activists were soliciting donations at the legislature. Not only was that a shameful abuse of state facilities and resources, it was a complete waste of Steve Canavero's and Susan Keema's time.

I believe that PK O'Neill sincerely intends to fairly represent all his constituents, not just those of his own party or any particular pressure group like these anti-Common Core activists. But having said that, he needs to come to terms with the fact that he's now a political leader, not just a facilitator or a "name." When PK hosts an event, he needs to be actively involved from beginning to end, taking personal responsibility to insure that the ground rules are clearly understood by all participants, and that the moderator is empowered to apply the rules and maintain decorum.

All we got out of this Common Core "symposium" was a one-sided presentation of questionable veracity from Drs. Stotsky and Milgram. Their visit here was part of a road show around the country they've been on since 2013. One of Dr. Stotsky's main themes is transparency, yet she made no mention of who has been funding this road show.

As announced, the Nevada Department of Education came to the event to allow teachers and administrators a chance to talk about, and take questions on, how the implementation of the new standards is progressing. But thanks to the inept manner in which this event was organized and conducted, no one ever heard that side of the story.

Given that it affects many thousands of families across the state, I believe that NDE should organize some actual Common Core symposiums to allow actual teachers, administrators and parents to have an actual conversation about where we're at and how we're doing now, in 2015. That's an important conversation to have. If ideological zealots want to relitigate the 2010 decision to adopt the new K-12 standards, they should bring it up with their elected representatives, not with those employed to implement the laws passed by our elected representatives.

Rich Dunn
Carson City