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Ohio Senate Candidate Calls for Ending ‘Common Core Curriculum,’ Ignores State and Local Control of the Standards

Janet Folger Porter, who is running for the Ohio Senate 22nd District seat, pledges to introduce legislation to repeal “Common Core curriculum” if elected. “Common Core curriculum, which dumbs down kids and makes them go around the block to find the answer to their addition problem—we’ve got to stop it,” Porter asserts in an interview with WMFD.

Porter’s comments ignore that Common Core is a set of standards – or academic benchmarks that students should meet to be on track for college and career readiness – and do not set curriculum. Those decisions are left to local educators and school boards. A Center on Education Policy study found in more than two-thirds of school districts nationwide teachers are designing curricula to meet Common Core State Standards.

Last year, more than 20 State Teachers of the Year wrote that they strongly support the Common Core because the standards provide them more flexibility in their classrooms. “Under the Common Core, teachers have greater flexibility to design their classroom lessons—and can, for the first time, take advantage of the best practices from great teachers in other states.”

Likewise, research shows Common Core State Standards are more rigorous than the criteria most states had in place before. A study by the Fordham Institute found Common Core State Standards outperformed “ELA standards in 37 states and math standards in 39 states.” Even James Milgram, an outspoken critic of the Common Core, acknowledges the standards “are better than 85 or 90 percent of the state standards they replace.” “Not a little better. A lot better.”

Repealing the Common Core in Ohio, as Porter says she hopes to do, would put the state’s students at a disadvantage, create uncertainty in classrooms and walk back the work teachers and students have invested over the past five years.

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. 

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