As the issue of Common Core Curriculum heats up in Indiana, with Indiana Republican legislator Rep. Scott Schneider introducing his bill to get rid of the national standards for education in the Hoosier state, you may want to read this:

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/22/what-should-children-read/

As an English major and champion of the narrative, I was more than a little surprised to read about what's in store for those teaching and studying English.

To quote the author, Sara Mosle, a contributor to the New York Times and an educator in New Jersey:

"The standards won't take effect until 2014, but many public school systems have begun adjusting their curriculums to satisfy the new mandates. Depending on your point of view, the now contentious guidelines prescribe a healthy - or lethal - dose of nonfiction.

"For example, the Common Core dictates that by fourth grade, public school students devote half of their reading time in class to historical documents, scientific tracts, maps and other "informational texts" - like recipes and train schedules. Per the guidelines, 70 percent of the 12th grade curriculum will consist of nonfiction titles. Alarmed English teachers worry we're about to toss Shakespeare so students can study, in the words of one former educator, "memos, technical manuals and menus."

"David Coleman, president of the College Board, who helped design and promote the Common Core, says English classes today focus too much on self-expression. "It is rare in a working environment," he's argued, "that someone says, 'Johnson, I need a market analysis by Friday but before that I need a compelling account of your childhood.' "

Mosle supports Coleman's thesis and makes a powerful argument for the reading of excellent non-fiction or narrative non-fiction. She defines it as  "writing that tells a factual story, sometimes even a personal one, but also makes an argument and conveys information in vivid, effective ways" and especially says it is found, historically (my additon) in newspapers and magazines and "in the dwindling outlets for long-form journalism." 

"Students." she writes, "are a natural (and the future) audience for serious, in-depth reporting. Skilled practitioners can demonstrate the power of facts, and provide models - topic sentence by topic sentence - for compelling narrative."

Her conclusion:

"There are anthologies of great literature and primary documents, but why not "30 for Under 20: Great Nonfiction Narratives?" Until such editions appear, teachers can find complex, literary works in collections like "The Best American Science and Nature Writing," on many newspaper Web sites, which have begun providing online lesson plans using articles for younger readers, and on ProPublica.org. Last year, The Atlantic compiled examples of the year's best journalism, and The Daily Beast has its feature "Longreads." Longform.org not only has "best of" contemporary selections but also historical examples dating back decades."

Mosle's arguments are sound, but one wonders how plentiful all this "best journalism" will be with fewer reporters, less teeth, shorter stories, etc? To quote Capt. James Hook, (yes, "Peter Pan," "This is where the cancer gnaws."