Last updated on: 4/8/2016 7:15:54 AM PST
Are the Common Core Standards Good for Education in America?
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Con (No)
Con
"More broadly, Gov. Johnson believes there is no role for the Federal Government in education. He would eliminate the federal Department of Education, and return control to the state and local levels. He opposes Common Core and any other attempts to impose national standards and requirements on local schools, believing the key to restoring education excellence in the U.S. lies in the innovation, freedom and flexibility that federal interference inherently discourages."
Source: Gary Johnson 2016, "Education," garyjohnson2016.com (accessed Apr. 20, 2016)
Con
"We’ve seen a common pattern with the education agenda pushed by Wall Street and standardized test corporations: high-stakes testing sets up public schools to fail, paving the way for the takeover of education by charter schools with their profits subsidized by taxpayer dollars.
Within two years after [former New York State Education Commissioner John] King’s disastrous Common Core rollout, 20% of students were sitting out the tests in protest...
As President, I will halt the destructive push for high-stakes testing and school privatization. Instead of teaching to the test, we need to teach to the whole student for lifetime learning."
Source: Schools Matter, "Guest Post: Dr. Jill Stein: A Failing Grade for Obama's Education Pick," schoolsmatter.info, Mar. 27, 2016
Con
"I'm a tremendous believer in education. But education has to be at a local level. We cannot have the beuraucrats in Washington telling you how to manage your child's education.
So Common Core's a total disaster. We can't let it continue. We are rated 28 in the world--the United States!--think of it!--28 in the world--and, frankly, we spend far more per pupil than any other country in the world by far, it's not even a close second. So here we are, we spend more money, and we're rated 28--third world countries are ahead of us.
We're gonna end Common Core, we're gonna have education an absolute priority."
Source: Donald Trump, Facebook post, facebook.com, Jan. 26, 2016
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Not Clearly Pro or Con
"When I think about the really unfortunate argument that's been going on around Common Core, it's very painful, because the Common Core started off as a bi-partisan effort — it was actually nonpartisan. It wasn't politicized, it was to try to come up with a core of learning that we might expect students to achieve across our country, no matter what kind of school district they were in, no matter how poor their family was, that there wouldn't be two tiers of education. Everybody would be looking at what was to be learned and doing their best to try to achieve that. Now I think part of the reason why Iowa may be more understanding of this is you've had the Iowa Core for years, you've had a system, plus the Iowa Assessment tests. I think I'm right in saying I took those when I was in elementary school, right — the Iowa tests. So Iowa has had a testing system based on a core curriculum for a really long time, and you see the value of it. You understand why that helps you organize your whole education system. And a lot of states, unfortunately, haven't had that, and so don't understand the value of a core in this sense a common core that then — yes of course you can, y'know, figure out the best way, in your community to try to reach."
Source: Valerie Strauss, "What Hillary Clinton Said about the Common Core State Standards," washingtonpost.com, Apr. 20, 2015
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FORMER CANDIDATES
(Candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria appear below in black and white and in alphabetical order.)
Pro (Yes)
Pro
"[Chris Wallace:] You say opposition to Common Core educational standards is quote, your word, 'hysteria.' We had Bobby Jindal, the Governor of Louisiana, on here a couple of weeks ago and he said Common Core is a stalking horse for federal takeover of education.
[John Kasich:] Well, I mean, these were governors who helped create Common Core, Chris. The Common Core was written by state education superintendents and local principals. In my state of Ohio, we want higher standards for our children, and those standards are set and the curriculum is set by local school boards. Barack Obama doesn't set it. The state of Ohio doesn't set it. It is local school boards driving better education, higher standards, created by local school boards. I've asked the Republican governors that have complained about this to tell me where I'm wrong, and guess what, silence."
Source: Sam Levine, "John Kasich Calls out Conservatives Who Oppose Common Core," huffingtonpost.com, Jan. 26, 2015
Pro
[Editor's Note: On Mar. 26, 2015, Senator Bernie Sanders voted against S.Amdt.515, an amendment that allowed states to opt out of Common Core without penalty. In addition, in an Oct. 25, 2011 press release, "An Update on Overhauling No Child Left Behind," available at sanders.senate.gov, Senator Sanders' office expressed its support "for states, like Vermont, that have adopted the Common Core Standards so students are taught the skills they need to be in college and career ready."]
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Con (No)
Con
"Common Core is a disaster. And if I am elected president, in the first days as president, I will direct the Department of Education that Common Core ends that day.
Now, let me tell you why you can do that, because it's easy to talk about the problem, but you have to understand the solutions. The Obama administration has abused executive power in forcing Common Core on the states. It has used Race-to-the-Top funds to effectively blackmail and force the states to adopt Common Core.
Now, the one silver lining of Obama abusing executive power is that everything done with executive power can be undone with executive power, and I intend to do that.
Beyond that, though, Jake, I intend to work to abolish the federal Department of Education and send education back to the states and back to the local governments. "
Source: CNN Politics, "Transcript of Republican Debate in Miami, Full Text," cnn.com, Mar. 10, 2016
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None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 20, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Mar. 4, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 10, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Dec. 21, 2015; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 1, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Feb. 3, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
None Found
Withdrew on Mar. 15, 2016; no additional research done as of that date to determine candidate's position on this question.
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