North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory signed legislation Tuesday that starts the process of replacing Common Core Standards with a more localized approach. Created in 2010, the program offers a series of guidelines showing what children should know about math and English from kindergarten to graduation. Many education experts say one of its major flaws, is that it leaves parents out of the educational process.
Candi Cushman, education analyst for Focus on the Family, says parents and local school boards should be making decisions for their kids, not D.C. government officials and bureaucrats.
“The issue for people is not wanting their kids to be the guinea pigs at the hands of these far away federal lawmakers and industry bureaucrats who really don’t have a close-up view of their children’s unique education needs,” she said. “So this is really about who is the ultimate decision maker for what our kids are learning in schools.”
North Carolina implemented the standards in the 2012-13 school year. Since then, parents have been asking lawmakers to repeal the standards
The state joins Oklahoma, South Carolina and Indiana in either backing away from completely or opting out of the federal guidelines and the movement is getting help from names like Michelle Malkin and talk show host Glenn Beck. Beck has produced a live theater event titled “We Will Not Conform.”
“Nobody wants to live in a country where our kids are all robots,” Beck said in a trailer for the production, “and that’s exactly where we’re headed with Common Core if it has its way in our educational system — and that’s why we’re fighting back.”
McCrory told WRAL.com that the new law will not change any of North Carolina’s education standards.
“It does initiate a much-needed, comprehensive and thorough review of standards,” he said. “No standards will change without the approval of the State Board of Education. I especially look forward to the recommendations that will address testing issues so we can measure what matters most for our teachers, parents and students.”
Cushman said it’s encouraging to see people taking a stand.
“This is because parents are making their voices heard,” she told CitizenLink. “This is moms and dads driving this — all across the nation. Because they’re making their voice heard, we now have at least five states that have withdrawn completely or backtracked from Common Core in their schools.”
http://www.citizenlink.com/2014/07/23/nort...
Posted By: Jeni Fa
Wednesday, July 23rd 2014 at 10:19PM
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