Posted on 06/10/2014 8:48:03 AM PDT by Academiadotorg
Thursday marked a high point for opponents of Common Core, as Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin signed legislation making her state the third to ditch the national educational standards. In a press briefing at the White House on Monday, though, U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan struck back by vaguely suggesting that the federal government may now punish Oklahoma. Duncan asserted that “40 percent of high school graduates” in Oklahoma “have to take remedial classes when they go to college” and only “25 percent of Oklahoma’s eighth-graders in math are proficient.” The Obama administration education chief declared that the Common Core Standards Initiative is a panacea for this problem. “We got a dropout problem we got to deal with,” Duncan said. “We want to make sure our high school graduates aren’t having to take remedial classes, burn up Pell grants, burn up student loans taking non-credit bearing. And right now, roughly 40 percent of those graduates in Oklahoma are having to do that. We don’t think that’s good for those young people, their families, or for the country.” Duncan had ominous words for states that buck the Common Core trend. “We partner with states whether they’re in Common Core or have their own high standards. But where we will challenge status quo is when states dummy down standards,” he warned. The education secretary noted that Fallin, The Sooner State governor, had defended Common Core up until a few weeks before she signed the bill eliminating Common Core and immediately reverting back to older tests and standards. “If you go back to just a couple of months ago,” the education secretary said, “This is what Gov. Fallin said about higher standards – I’m quoting her –she said, ‘The standards’ – and I quote – “outline what students need to be college- and career-ready.’” Duncan blamed the administration of George W. Bush for decreased “college- and career-ready” standards. “What we’re reacting to, as you guys may remember under No Child Left Behind – it’s not the intent – but we had about 20 states actually dummy down their standards to make politicians look good,” he said. Oklahoma’s anti-Common Core bill passed the state legislature with veto-proof majorities, but Fallin could have killed the bill for at least a year with a veto. She chose to kill Common Core instead. (RELATED: Fallin Gives In, Kills Common Core In Oklahoma) “Unfortunately, federal overreach has tainted Common Core,” Fallin said in a statement. “President [Barack] Obama and Washington bureaucrats have usurped Common Core in an attempt to influence state education standards. The results are predictable. What should have been a bipartisan policy is now widely regarded as the president’s plan to establish federal control of curricula, testing and teaching strategies.” In November, Duncan insisted that “white suburban moms” are to blame for the unrelenting opposition to Common Core standards. (RELATED: Arne Duncan blames irrational angst of ‘white suburban moms’ for Common Core pushback) In the fall, for the first time, most states and the District of Columbia began implementing Common Core, which attempts to standardize various K-12 curricula around the country. South Carolina moved to phase out the standards a few days before Oklahoma did. Indiana pulled out earlier this year.
It is time to abolish the US Federal Department of Socialist Indoctrination.
If that's not in the near future, it's time to seriously talk about secession.
Get used to it Arne!! More states are going to pull out of this sham!
I tried to help my nephew with his math homework and it was indecipherable!
I solved the problems the old way, the way that worked. No drawings. No shadings. Just numbers.
The states created the federal government.
“U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan struck back by vaguely suggesting that the federal government may now punish Oklahoma. Duncan asserted that ‘40 percent of high school graduates’ in Oklahoma ‘have to take remedial classes when they go to college’ and only 25 percent of Oklahoma’s eighth-graders in math are ‘proficient.’”
Arne, you Big Government dunce—you need to reenroll in the 6th grade. If the District of Corruption is so good at setting standards, then we should hold the achievement level of the students in D.C. out as the gold standard, right?
Kill Commie Core now!
Yeah that's it, blame the girl!
It’s not Common Core, it’s ObamaCore.
The point of the Common Core curriculum is to make math equally difficult for all students. Common Core teaches math the way special ed teachers teach math to students with a math disability, doing an end around simple math calculations. The idea is to even out the perceived advantage of White students over Blacks and Hispanics, who seem to be over burdened with math disabilities.
I wonder how much money Oklahoma sends in to the DoEd and how much they get back.
I’ll bet they would be better off just keeping the money and telling Duncan to pound sand.
Hoops time Arne. OK is OK.
They are still going to have to fight union control of local school boards on the Common Core. Just because ObamaCore is not a state mandate, it doesn’t mean that local school boards will not try to implement it.
Arnie’s expertise comes from running the Chicago public schools (the ones none of his Hyde Park elitist pals use)
what is their math proficiency and graduation rate?
It’s also to separate children from parents, who can’t help their children with these stupid methods.
The linked article actually has paragraph breaks, making it much easier to read.
Formatting is your friend
...a fact lost on most Americans.
...thanks in large part by the public education system.
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