Rejection of common core through state legislation delaying or banning implementation of it restores education to local control – and effectively nullifies the program
Blue – Introduced. Yellow – Passed one or more Houses. Green – Passed both Houses. Purple – Law Passed or Executive Action, Withdrawal Not Taken . Red – Law, Full Withdrawal.
Constitutionally, education is an issue that is reserved to the states or the people – outside the purview of federal power. Common Core State Standards Initiative is an education initiative that details what K-12 students should know in English language arts and mathematics at the end of each grade. While devised and created by state-level associations, the federal government has driven adoption through an unconstitutional grant program called Race to the Top.
States will spend up to an estimated $10 billion up front, then as much as $800 million per year for the first seven years that the controversial program is up and running. Much of the cost is on new, Common Core-aligned textbooks and curriculum, but the added expenses also include teacher training, technology upgrades, testing and assessment. The figures are taking states by surprise.
In November 2013, Arne Duncan the federal education secretary, attributed opposition to common core to “white suburban moms” who discovered that “all of a sudden, their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought.” Opposition has come from activists on both the left and right and in states – red and blue.
Critics say the program, which now has the full backing of the federal government, amounts to Washington taking over curriculum and sticking locals with the bill.