Anyone who doubts the feds are deeply committed to the implementation of Common Core standards should observe what’s going on in Indiana and Oklahoma.
Politico reported yesterday that the Department of Education is rescinding the waiver it granted Oklahoma for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and granting Indiana a one-year extension of its NCLB waiver.
So what’s the difference between the two states? Both states repealed Common Core. Indiana implemented a Common Core re-brand while Oklahoma is taking a longer time to develop rigorous state-wide standards that are intended to replace and exceed Common Core Standards.
Yesterday in a statement Oklahoma Governor May Fallin said the Obama administration was seeking to replace local and state priorities with a Washington agenda.
It is outrageous that President Obama and Washington bureaucrats are trying to dictate how Oklahoma schools spend education dollars,” said Fallin. “Because of overwhelming opposition from Oklahoma parents and voters to Common Core, Washington is now acting to punish us. This is one more example of an out-of-control presidency that places a politicized Washington agenda over the well-being of Oklahoma students. I join parents, teachers, and administrators in being outraged by this decision, and I will fight it with every tool available to the state of Oklahoma.”
Hey, no need to worry; Common Core is not an initiative of the federal government. It’s a state-led initiative. Right? The feds told us.
I hope NC legislators and members of the Academic Standards Review Commission are watching.
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