Race to the Top

Past Common Core Defender Chris Christie ‘Shifts’ Position on Standards

The Associated Press aptly defined Republican 2016 contender Gov. Chris Christie’s position on Common Core as “shifting,” a description that could easily be applied to many Republican governors who signed their states on to the standards only to be met by irate parents and teachers once it was discovered what Common Core was all about.

Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie gestures during the Repub

Obama: Arne Duncan Has ‘Delivered Some Incredible Results’

Obama’s comments appear to be a reference to the Common Core standards – though he does not call the reform by name, likely because the unpopular initiative is now often described as “toxic” and “poisonous.” The president nevertheless adopts the usual pro-Common Core position that the nationalized standards are higher or more rigorous than other standards – although there is no independent research that validates that claim.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (R) visits with sixth grade

Feds Admit U.S. Education Department ‘Forced’ States To Accept Common Core From Its Start

In a remarkable admission, the former director of the Race to the Top (RttT) competitive grant program and chief of staff to U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says the federal government “forced” full support for adoption of the Common Core standards from each state by requiring its governor, chief state school officer, and head of the state board of education to sign off on the grant application.

President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan (R) visits with sixth grade

New Lawsuit Challenges Constitutionality of Common Core

The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) announced Monday that it has joined in filing a lawsuit against the governor of North Dakota and other officials that claims the state’s participation in one of the federally funded interstate Common Core test consortia and the implementation of the Common Core standards is unconstitutional and violates federal laws that ban federal control of public schools and curriculum.

AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis

Christie’s ‘U-Turn’ on Common Core Draws Doubts From Grassroots

Christie said he signed his state’s Race to the Top application for federal funds in exchange for adopting the Common Core standards because his state needed the money, an admission many other governors are likely hesitant to make in light of the huge outcry from parents across the country against the standards and their associated testing and data collection.

Christie-town-hall-ap

Jeb Bush’s Education Foundation Offering Online Courses Promoting Common Core

Potential 2016 presidential candidate Jeb Bush has made it clear that he will continue his support for the controversial Common Core standards initiative, despite the fact that the conservative base of the GOP is overwhelmingly opposed to it. His education foundation, in fact, is offering online courses for policy-makers focusing on how to promote the idea that the standards are necessary for national security, why data collection is essential, and how to win over parents, teachers, and citizens in the education reform conversation.

AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

CNBC: Common Core a Cash Cow to Corporations

Hundreds of millions of dollars have already been paid to corporations like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Scholastic, and Apple since 2012 in contracts related to the controversial Common Core standards.

AP/Coeur d'Alene Press, Shawn Gust

Desperation: Common Core Proponents Run Ads in Iowa to Prop Up Jeb Bush

With conservative grassroots activists having educated parents, teachers, and lawmakers about the nature of the Common Core standards initiative, proponents of the education reform are desperate to bolster a possible presidential run for Jeb Bush, who was recently booed at CPAC by conservatives for being a champion of the now grossly unpopular plan.

Common Core