The Feds Take Over Education with Common Core Standards

Imagine that Ronald Reagan only 30 years ago toyed with the idea of abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. What would he say today, now that the federal government has coerced most of the states into adopting the Common Core standards in the hopes they will keep or increase their federal funding?

Joy Pullman of the Heartland Institute, a libertarian non-profit, makes the following points to those who claim that the standards are not complete takeover of education:

She cites research in the Journal of Scholarship and Practice that demonstrates how the standards will infiltrate every aspect of K-12 education. They will “form the core curriculum of every public school program, drive another stronger wave of high stakes testing, and thus become student selection criteria for K-12 school programs such as Title I services, gifted and talented programs, high school course placement, and other academic programs.”

Pullman states that the “domino effect” of the standards will hit teacher evaluations, since many states tie teacher ratings to students’ performance on tests. In addition, Common Core will affect school choice, since many states that have passed school choice laws require private schools to administer state tests.

Furthermore, college entrance exams, including the SAT and ACT, would now correspond to Common Core, an aspect that would also impact homeschoolers who desire entrance to college. Would they, too, need to use the Common Core standards in order to successfully pass college entrance exams?

Pullman summarizes, “People who characterize Common Core as anything other than a national takeover of schooling are either unaware of these sweeping implications or are deliberately hiding this information from the public.”

Make your opposition known in CCSD's Common Core meetings.

Parent Information Sessions: Common Core Communications
Sessions held at each Constituent District, February 10-14, 2014

School Name                               Date            Time            Room
St. James-Santee Elementary School Feb. 11 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cafeteria
Laing Middle School Feb. 10 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cafeteria
Fort Johnson Middle School Feb. 11 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Media Center
North Charleston High School Feb. 12 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Auditorium
Stall High School Feb. 13 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Performing Arts Center
West Ashley High School Feb. 10 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Auditorium
Burke Middle High School Feb. 11 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Auditorium
Baptist Hill Middle High School Feb. 12 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cafeteria
Haut Gap Middle School Feb. 10 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Cafeteria