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| Why is this superintendent supporting federal overreach in education? |
Here is an article from Truth in American Education to share with Missouri legislators or your respective state legislators if your state adopted Common Core standards. The following quotes are from one of the strongest proponents of Common Core letting the "cat out of the bag", Indiana Superintendent of Public Education, Tony Bennett:
“I’m a strong conservative and I believe in states’ rights,” he told the gathering of about 100 tea party members.
Bennett pointed out that the Common Core’s standards originated with the National Governors Association, and were intended for voluntary adoption by states. Then, according to Bennett, Obama nationalized the standards and has tried to use federal clout to force the Common Core on the states.
“This administration has an insatiable appetite for federal overreach,” he said. “The federal government’s involvement in these standards is wrong.”
Are the dominoes starting to fall? Do the legislators need to be "nudged" to stop "nationalized standards" (which are illegal) from being implemented in states?If the federal government's involvement in the standards are wrong, why aren't state legislators saying "no" to the implementation?
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Tony Bennett, the Indiana Superintendent of Public
Education, was cornered at a Tea Party gathering in Indiana last week.
Russ Pulliam, blogging at the
Indianapolis Star gives
an account of the exchange:
Bennett is usually locked in debates with
advocates for traditional approaches to public education. But this
argument was different. Bennett played defense on behalf of a set of
academic standards called the Common Core, which many tea party
advocates see as yet another example of the federal government’s
overreach.
The temperature in the room rose as Bennett took
one question after another from the audience at the White River Yacht
Club. He contended that the Common Core is a state-driven initiative,
but one that was hijacked by the power-hungry Obama administration.
“I’m a strong conservative and I believe in states’ rights,” he told the gathering of about 100 tea party members.
Bennett pointed out that the Common Core’s
standards originated with the National Governors Association, and were
intended for voluntary adoption by states. Then, according to Bennett,
Obama nationalized the standards and has tried to use federal clout to
force the Common Core on the states.
“This administration has an insatiable appetite
for federal overreach,” he said. “The federal government’s involvement
in these standards is wrong.”
So shouldn’t this be a reason to pull out of the
Common Core? Buck the trend, preserve federalism, show other states
that Indiana can produce standards of their own without Arne Duncan
breathing down their neck?
South Carolina’s educational system has at times
faced challenges of equity, quality, and leadership – challenges that
cannot be solved by increasing our dependence on federal dollars and the
mandates that come with them. Just as we should not relinquish control
of education to the Federal government, neither should we cede it to
the consensus of other states. Confirming my commitment to finding
South Carolina solutions to South Carolina challenges, I am pleased to
support your efforts to reverse the 2010 decision to adopt the common
core standards.
Dr. Bennett, are you saying there isn’t enough
knowledge, talent and experience within the state of Indiana to develop
standards for the Hoosier state that makes sense for Indiana’s kids?
Governor Haley understands that even ceding control to the consensus of
other states is not practicing fidelity to federalism. It’s time for
you to understand that as well.
Pull Indiana out of the Common Core State
Standards or at the very least let elected officials who are accountable
to the citizens of Indiana decide whether or not it is the right course
to pursue.
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