The future of Education is now.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist, Jill Tucker, recently wrote about Common Core, a new set of educational guidelines revising K-12 standards and expectations.
This new education standard revolutionizes the educational curriculum. For instance, students in elementary education will learn typing skills, instead of how to write in cursive. Students in secondary education, in another instance, will be expected to utilize critical thinking skills in their exams and assignments, a change designed to replace rote memorization and repetition.
The future of Asian-American students, especially those under this system in California, is also now, but this future raises questions of whether Asian Americans in this new academic era will still be exemplars of the “model minority” title.
Will Asian-American students still spend countless hours remembering natural science and physical science concepts for their exams? Will they still ace math exams by memorizing formulas to solve problems? Will they still receive full credit in a history exam by recalling the address of the White House? Will Asian Americans still be model minorities by using their signature move — memorization — to thrive in academia?
The answer is no. Hell no.
In order for Asian Americans to remain as model minorities, they will have to tweak their study methods to fit the Common Core guidelines. Asian-American students, instead of memorizing history dates, might analyze the relationship between Congress and the president, while offering their opinion on the effectiveness of this relationship in creating public policies.
This critical thinking enforcement challenges Asian-American students to analyze, to evaluate and to reconstruct their understanding of the class material, instead of regurgitating formulas and facts — academic exercises, as the slogan would say, “preparing America’s students for college and career.”
The Common Core standards not only apply to Asian Americans, but also to other ethnic Americans — Latin Americans, African Americans and Caucasian Americans – in the classroom.
The Common Core, in other words, equalizes the playing field in education for ethnic Americans, giving every ethnic American — not just Asian Americans – a chance to attain model minority status.
Academic success is no longer a given. It has to be earned.
Photo: Flickr user brainchildvn
Editor’s Note: This article is purely the opinion of the author and does not reflect the views and opinions of Dumpling Magazine LLC or its partners and staff in whole or in part.