Tony Bennett’s Defeat’s Impact on the Common Core
By Shane Vander Hart
The education consulting group Whiteboard Advisorsrecently conducted surveys of 50-75 anonymous political and policy “insiders” before and after the election asking them to weigh in on a variety of issues. One of the items that caught my eye they asked “How will Tony Bennett’s (the incumbent Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction) defeat impact the Common Core?” They asked the question of Indiana and then what national impact it might have.
Within Indiana:
-
“Common Core in Indiana is safe once Ritz realizes that NEA supports the standards and they gave
her the money to be elected.” -
“I think the Common Core will survive if teachers feel they are included in the implementation discussions.”
-
“I don’t know. Generally, the Common Core has a long way to go.”
-
“The Common Core has always been a Trojan horse to get out of accountability which they will do in other ways….”
-
“There will be a huge effort to get IN out of CC and PARCC.”
-
“Not sure if it will.”
-
“It’s apt to be a setback in IN and maybe set an ‘example’ for other states.”
-
“It’s not good news, but long‐term effect will depend on the State Board of Education.”
-
“I think there’s still a good chance that Common Core will survive.”
-
“Relatively little, will be hard for the state to pull out. National unions won’t be angling for it. Bigger risk is to teacher evaluation law they passed.”
-
“Not clear. The problem for Common Core is that the funders and advocates are not effectively geared to the long and hard work of implementation. That’s CC’s greatest challenge.”
-
“Indiana will start to pull back, which will open the barn doors.”
-
“People in Indiana don’t see his defeat as having anything at all to do with Common Core.”
The last statement makes me shake my head. Even Bennett pointed to his support of the Common Core as one of the reasons he lost. Nationally about 30% didn’t think his defeat would make much of an impact. Here are some of the “insider” comments.
-
“Nationally it is more complicated, the administration has put the standards in a
tough spot by campaigning around them.” -
“A few Republican legislatures and Governors will feel emboldened to make a run at Common Core, but the business community is organizing to defend the Common Core in states were they are threatened.”
-
“I think this in one of perhaps 6‐10 states that will start to slow walk the implementation of the Common Core.”
-
“The biggest loss will be felt on PARCC’s governing board.”
-
“It won’t defeat it nationally, but Common Core supporters must do a better job of explaining to policymakers what it is and why it matters.”
-
“Not much—the Common Core movement shouldn’t worry about one state as long as it still has a critical mass moving them forward.”
-
“Could have a chilling effect. Or, could wake the Common Core advocates up that they have a problem that is bigger than Jim Stergios and some bloggers.”
-
“The doomed enterprise heard the first tolling of the bells.”
Yes they do have a larger problem than some bloggers! People read our blogs, they become informed and they act. The last statement is my favoriate, “the doomed enterprise heard the first tolling of the bells.” Yes!
Originally posted at Truth In American Education
