Hacker News Reader

Comment by dragonwriter | Hacker News Reader

Common Core was neither developed nor mandated by the federal government, it is adopted as a mandate by numerous states independently, and developed as an initiative sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.

The federal government dictates very little of the substance of what is taught in schools.

View on HN

True and thank the Almighty for that, but the general direction is towards that. The main issue of contention here is centralization. Once that is done, it becomes easier for the federal govt to take it over. I don't want anything that remotely resembles that.

> the general direction is towards that.

What general direction? What are the specific examples of this general direction?

U.S. President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced the Race to the Top competitive grants on July 24, 2009, as a motivator for education reform. To be eligible, states had to adopt "internationally benchmarked standards and assessments that prepare students for success in college and the work place."[15] Though states could adopt other college- and career-ready standards and still be eligible, they were awarded extra points in their Race to the Top applications if they adopted the Common Core standards by August 2, 2010.

Until the Every Student Succeeds Act was passed in December 2015, the US Department of Education had encouraged states to adopt the Common Core Standards by tying the grant of waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to adoption of the Standards.

Yes, the States were offered extra funding for adopting the Common Core. They were not forced to take it, but who doesn't want a few million dollars, right?

Doesn't the federal government have enough on its plate? It seems like this insatiable beast that won't stop until it has taken over every last bit of personal liberty and freedom including what and how to think. That is the fear.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com