When you hear the phrase mass customized learning, think “new math” back in the ’70s, “whole language” from the late ’80s to ’90s, more recently “everyday math” and now “common core.” All controversial programs that have already or will soon be shown to be abject educational failures. Nothing in this new program is evidence-based. Asia and Europe do not use this. Go to the top colleges in the Northeast and ask these world class students where they were educated — not in countries where education even remotely resembles this mass customized mediocrity. Negative changes are already occurring in the classroom. Classrooms are chaotic; students are not encouraged to excel, they are taught only to meet a basic standard; the online resources children are forced to use are substandard and are poor substitutes for a knowledgeable, experienced teacher. Our district has these experienced teachers, and they are even more upset with mass customized mediocrity plan than the parents and students are.

Remember how the Everyday Math program was forced upon us despite massive local outcry? Seven years later, this debunked math program, which cost our towns hundreds of thousands of dollars in consultants, training, workshops, workbooks etc., is barely used because it was a failure. Now, history repeats on a larger level. Mass customized learning must be stopped. Anyone living within the Regional School Unit 18 district, please vote on May 21 (Tuesday) to reject the school budget unless and until the MCL program is completely scrapped. Vote no on the budget on May 21!

John Juvenal

Oakland