Nebraska, one of the four states that hasn’t adopted Common Core, has launched an “alignment study” to determine whether its existing standards fall short. No such movement has appeared in Alaska or Texas, which have dismissed the standards entirely.
The Republican National Committee has adopted a resolution calling on states to abandon Common Core, highlighting how the issue has divided the GOP. High-profile Republican figures such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush strongly support the standards.
When the dust settles, many analysts say, Common Core will survive in theory, but the heart of the system — the assessments directly linked to the standards — may fall by the wayside.
“Most states will adopt Common Core at least in the name. But they will not use the tests, at least many states won’t. And then the whole purpose of Common Core is going to kind of fall apart,” said Neal McCluskey, associate director of the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute.
By refusing the standards, states have paid a price. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, a Republican, once said, “The academic standards of Texas are not for sale.” It was a dig at the Obama administration’s attempt to push states into the system by linking Race to the Top grants and other incentives to adopt the system.
Virginia also understood that saying “no” to Common Core meant no dollars from Race to the Top, the White House’s signature education initiative that has doled out billions of dollars to winning states. It awards points if a state puts into place college- and career-ready academic standards. Critics argue that only Common Core would satisfy the administration’s criteria and that refusing to adopt it meant little to no chance at grant money.
“It’s clear that Virginia’s decision [not to pursue Common Core] was a factor in the commonwealth not getting a Race to the Top grant a couple of years ago,” Mr. Pyle said.
© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC. Click here for reprint permission.
Ben Wolfgang is a national reporter for The Washington Times. Before coming to the Times, he spent four years as a political reporter in Pennsylvania. His focus is on education and science policy. Ben lives in southeast D.C. and has played guitar in several bands while still in Pennsylvania. He can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
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