Writer: Cultural Sensitivity Requirements May Stymie Common Core Assessment Creators

In commentary for Bloomberg News (12/14), Emory University professor of English Mark Bauerlein writes that despite the Common Core Standards' bipartisan support and widespread acceptance, "a battle may break out once states and districts develop curricula and administer tests that align with Common Core's standards on English language arts. The clash revives the so-called canon wars from 25 years ago, when multiculturalists in high school and college demanded an end to the dead-white- male dominance of the humanities." Bauerlein states that the Common Core is "unambiguous" in its preference for the classics, adding that the "mandate is a problem for test developers," who must "heed 'bias and sensitivity guidelines' that rule out race and sex imbalances, stereotypes and pretty much anything that might upset or disserve any particular group of students."