ED Senior Advisor Mike Smith voiced some contrarian views????on national or "common" standards yesterday. ????It's nice and highly uncommon to see a high-ranking administration official critique arguments made by his bosses, especially on an issue where a consensus is developing around a position embraced by the administration. ????Though Smith ultimately comes down on the side of President Obama and Secretary Duncan (and Fordham for that matter), it shows thoughtfulness to address both sides of the issue fairly and publicly. I suppose a certain degree of independence comes with long experience and a personal request of service from the Secretary.
