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DeVos Explains Why Dept. of Education Has Moved on From “Common Core”
On Monday, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos was asked by Fox News’ Bill Hemmer to clarify the Trump administration’s position on the Common Core State Standards.
“There isn’t really any Common Core anymore, and each state is able to set the standards for their state,” Secretary DeVos replied. “The Every Student Succeeds Act, which is in the process of being implemented now, essentially does away with the whole argument about Common Core.”
Secretary DeVos is correct. As our Executive Director Jim Cowen has mentioned before, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) forbids the federal government from pressuring states to use (or not use) any specific standards or assessments so there is nothing for the Dept. of Education to act on. States are on their own when it comes to academic standards. Accordingly, most have reviewed their standards in the past few years, amended and adjusted them where needed and have laid the issue to rest.
Secretary DeVos’ answers today echo past statements on this matter: that states are moving past the unnecessarily politicized debate around the Common Core State Standards – and we all should too.
See the full transcript of her response to the Common Core question below:
.@BetsyDeVosED, asked on Fox News whether she’ll cut fed $ to states using Common Core, says: “There really isn’t any Common Core anymore.” pic.twitter.com/7SSxQWYHeB
— Michael Stratford (@mstratford) April 24, 2017
See also our past memo from Jim Cowen: “Secretary DeVos and States Move Past the Politicized Debate over Standards”
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.
To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.