Anti-Common Core groups are growing fearful of president-elect Donald Trump’s shortlist for U.S. Secretary of Education because of the candidates’ support for the controversial Common Core State Standards.
Many possible contenders for Education Secretary have vocally supported Common Core, which makes opponents of the standards uneasy.
The shortlist includes several familiar faces in Florida’s education system. Two former Florida education commissioners -- Gerard Robinson and Tony Bennett -- made the list.
Both Robinson and Bennett abruptly left their positions -- Robinson cited familial obligations after a flurry of criticisms on his handling of the education system and Bennett resigned over a grading scandal in Indiana which came to light during his time as commissioner in Florida.
Other names on the list include Michelle Rhee, a pro-Common Core former public schools chancellor for the District of Columbia. Education expert Williamson Evers is one of the few possibilities who actually opposes the standards.
Abolishing the standards was one of Trump’s campaign promises when running for president.
“We cannot have the bureaucrats in Washington telling you how to manage your child’s education,” Trump said. “So Common Core’s a total disaster – we can’t let it continue.”
Trump, a newcomer in politics, said repeatedly the federal government should not be involved in a child’s education. Instead, he said, states should be allowed to dictate their own curriculum -- a position which has resonated among conservatives who tend to promote school choice and take a stand against Common Core.
Florida anti-Common Core groups say a president who opposes the standards has been a long time coming.
“This is what we all have been waiting on... a new President to get rid of Common Core,” Florida Parents Against Common Core founder Laura Zorc told Sunshine State News.
But Zorc said she and other groups aren’t feeling too upbeat about any of the nominees.
“All the groups I have worked with around the country are nervous about Trump's short list,” she explained. “It's not looking good for us.”
Dr. Karen Effrem from Florida Stop Common Core Coalition also said she wasn’t too certain Trump’s list was the right move.
“Choosing pro-Common Core, establishment people like Tony Bennett, Michelle Rhee, or Eva Moskowitz would be a complete betrayal to those parents in every state who helped elect him,” she said.
Despite the shortlist, anti-Common Core groups might have bigger problems which could pose a serious threat to getting rid of the standards.
The largest issue comes from the fact that education secretaries can’t actually get rid of the standards, thanks to a newly passed law.
The new Elementary and Secondary Education Act, passed last year, prohibits the secretary of education from requiring states or telling them to adopt any uniform standards, whether those standards are Common Core or some other set of guidelines.
Republicans created these guidelines based on the actions of Obama’s Education Secretary, Arne Duncan, “overreaching” with his authority by offering a waiver to the requirements of No Child Left Behind to any state that wanted them, as long as they enacted other parts of Obama’s education reforms.
Common Core has been implemented nationwide. Florida also adopted the standards, but altered them and rebranded them as the "Florida Standards" in 2014.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
