When “You’re Wrong” Isn’t Right
The Anti-Vaccine & Common Core Standards Paradox
Mark Twain was right when he said, “A lie can travel halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on.” Just ask public health advocates battling against myths that vaccines cause autism. New research findings from a Dartmouth College political scientist offer some withering news about the power of disinformation campaigns.
The survey of more than 1,700 US parents found that once they are convinced life-saving vaccines are bad, providing corrected information (no matter how sound or scientific) is often ineffective, and in some cases makes the problem worse. There is a lesson here for proponents of Common Core State Standards ― the set of academic standards that spell out what students should learn in language arts and math from kindergarten to 12th grade.
This weekend the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched a national advertising blitz to refute some of the commonly held myths about the standards. But the Tea Party activists the ads aim to woo declare the effort will backfire:
“Frankly, they can rant and rave as much as they want. They’re not going to affect me, and I don’t think they’re going to affect any others,” Arizona state Sen. Al Melvin told Politico.
Inaccurate information has a way of sticking, particularly in an information void. Forty-five states are using the standards, but a 2013 PDK/Gallup poll showed 62 percent of Americans and 55 percent of parents of school-aged children have never heard of Common Core State Standards. Of the 38 percent who know of Common Core, the majority erroneously believed that they were federally mandated and would have little to no effect on international competitiveness.
When “You’re Wrong” Isn’t Right
Parents confronted with corrected information about vaccines from a scientific source accepted that vaccines may not cause autism, but were strangely less likely to want their child vaccinated.
“People don’t want to acknowledge that they may be wrong about something,“ said Brendan Nyhan, a Dartmouth College researcher who conducted the study. “It might mean large changes in, not just their behavior, but their sense of who they are and their sense of identity.”
There’s an instructive insight here for Common Core Standards that are picked apart daily with little discernment. Nyhan is exploring the possibility that people feel less threatened if you boost their self-esteem before providing evidence that disproves firmly held beliefs. Messages that convey less “you’re wrong” and more “you’re important” have yet to be tested in the public health arena, but could be the winning strategy for the Common Core.
R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Few boost egos, make gentle corrections and command respect better than a good teacher. Teachers as kind and competent as my six- and eight-year old sons’ are communications gold. Because they are in the best position to know what students need, we listen.
I admit the way my first and third graders are solving math problems is totally foreign to me. Because I’m not particularly good at math, I didn’t assume the new way was “wrong.” I just really wanted to help with homework. We learned that under Common Core, my sons are learning multiple ways to “fluently add and subtract to 100” so they will be better prepared to handle bigger, more complex equations.
Teachers can be some of the most ardent supporters of the Common Core, because it gets away from rote drills and memorization. The standards respect their job as guides for student learning.
Show Don’t Tell
More showing and less telling may prove persuasive with parents and the public, especially in a world where personal and social marketing channels increasingly trump big-agency political ads. When parents see lessons and projects and how they challenge students to think more deeply, it becomes much less about a political agenda and more about our kids’ talents and future. Instead of listening to teachers present a list of facts, students in our school are sitting at computers engrossed in research, evaluating multiple sources of information, sorting opinions and facts and taking notes. They then share their observations with classmates and become invested and excited about what they learn.
Common Core proponents might consider putting star educators on tour to demonstrate what teaching changes look like and why it’s important. They might need some convincing. According to recent moves by teachers unions, educators feel more blame and unfair punishment than support in implementing the Common Core.
It’s hard to tell whether efforts to stop the Common Core will prevail. Only Indiana’s state Senate approved repealing the standards. Anti-Common Core legislation failed in conservative Alabama, Georgia, South Dakota and Kansas. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer issued an executive order renaming the new benchmarks “Arizona’s College and Career Ready Standards.” Idaho is considering a similar name change measure.
Would Common Core under different names look and smell sweeter? The National Governors Association and Chief State School Officers created the standards because too many states were setting the student achievement bar too low and the US continued to slip in international rankings. Considering that half the tools used in today’s careers didn’t exist five years ago, it makes sense that students should be equipped to adapt in a world where they have no idea what kind of jobs will exist when they graduate.
Research by Michigan State University found that students in states with standards aligned to the Common Core performed better on a national math test. Common Core Standards are worth doing. Let’s take the time and give each other the respect required to do it right.
By Becky Fleischauer (@Navicomm), a New Jersey mom and founding partner of Navigator Communications — a media and public affairs firm advancing health and education.
