As many states move toward full implementation of the Common Core State Standards this school year, discussions have been heating up about their merit. To no one’s surprise here at Fordham, we have found ourselves in the thick of things as a strong conservative voice in favor of these more rigorous standards. Misinformation and myths abound, so we’ve found it necessary to jump into the conversation and make some clarifications. Here are a few highlights of our recent efforts to share our view that the Common Core are a big win for conservatives:
- In several red states (including Alabama, Idaho, and South Carolina), Checker and Mike urged policy makers not to abandon the Common Core. The pair cite several conservative arguments in support of the core: fiscal responsibility, accountability, school choice, competitiveness, innovation, and traditional education values.
- Amber Winkler reacts to this viral video on Fox and Friends, calling these and other misinterpretations of the solid Common Core “a bunch of hooey!”
- In a lively debate with radio host Rich Girard, Mike strikes down connections between NCLB and the Common Core and reminds listeners that the Common Core was in fact started by states, not the federal government. He brings the argument back to high standards, not national standards.
- In New Hampshire, Kathleen Porter-Magee demystifies common misconceptions of the standards and how they will be implemented. She tells listeners that the “standards set the goal, they don’t mandate the path.”
- Now the Common Core standards are too rigorous? No, says Michael Brickman, Fordham’s national policy director, in the Daily Caller:
It should be almost self-evident that if we want our children to achieve at world-class levels, we need to be brave enough to challenge them with world-class expectations and honest enough to tell them—and then help them—when they are falling short. Let’s have a robust debate about the Common Core, and accountability generally, but enough already with the claims that the Common Core is too good for our kids.
