Rosenfeld: Common Core isn't the problem

Thirty-one percent on English Language Arts, and 36 percent in math.

Those were the statewide results of the Common Core tests that third- through eighth-graders took in April and May. Surely, many parents who received their child's results were disappointed. I know some of them.

Many parents will blame the tests, and many teachers will, too. But this is like blaming the doctor who diagnosed you for your disease. The Common Core isn't the problem; it simply underscores the problems.

The first real problem is poverty: Poor kids often don't have the resources or the role models needed to advance their education. This is a long-term problem that's difficult to solve.

The second problem, frankly, is inadequate teachers. Recently the state reported that 94 percent of teachers in the state (not including NYC, which did not report due to contract issues) were rated as either "effective" or "highly effective" for the 2012-2013 school year, though only 31 percent of students in both math and reading were rated as "proficient" on the state exams that year. Many question how effective the teachers can be if the students performed so poorly. And they're right to question it.

How does this happen? As someone who's been through teaching courses and as a former New York City teacher, I can tell you the course requirements schools mandate are both worthless and unnecessarily restricting. If famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson wanted to teach science in a New York school, he wouldn't be able to due to the ridiculous teaching course credit requirements and necessary observational hours. New York Philharmonic director Alan Gilbert would not be allowed to teach music for the same reason.

To make matters worse, teachers are not required to be experts in their fields. I've come across English teachers who send home assignments with grammatical errors. At Half Hollow Hills on Long Island last year, I found students using a Social Studies packet that incorrectly identified Henry Knox as Ethan Allen, presented Emanuel Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware as an accurate depiction (it's not even close), and referred to Baron von Steuben as a "great German military leader" (von Steuben had actually been kicked out of the Prussian army for somewhat mysterious reasons). It also claimed that Washington had hired von Steuben (he hadn't). None of the Social Studies teachers seemed to notice the errors.

If we increased teacher salaries and demanded that teachers be well-versed in their fields, it would make a tremendous difference in the education students receive.

The third problem is our culture. Far too many parents won't allow their children to miss a soccer game, but aren't bothered by the fact that their kids read five or less books a year. If your children are not reading for at least forty-five minutes a day (and preferably at least an hour a day for older children) outside of school, you can't expect them to perform well on tests that measure reading and writing skills.

In truth, many parents criticize the Common Core because it shattered the image they had of their child. These parents want to believe that their child is smart and "a good reader," even though that child rarely, if ever, picks up a book.

A recent report by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization, found that only 17 percent of teens read daily for pleasure. The number of teens, the report said, who "never" or "hardly ever" read for pleasure has tripled since 1984.

SEE PHOTOSJimmy Margulies cartoons

Parents who can't set aside time for their kids to read are contributing to the problem. Your children's education is more important than their dance classes, baseball games, and play dates. If you can't adjust to that fact, perhaps it's time to re-examine your priorities. Maybe then you'll see an improvement in your children.

Ross Rosenfeld of Lynbrook is a former New York City English teacher and the founder of Ross Tutoring.