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Why Bentley and His New Superintendent Shouldn’t Repeal Common Core
Conservative columnist Quin Hillyer argues for scrapping the Common Core in Alabama, arguing that Governor Bentley should “listen to grassroots Alabamans and fulfill his 2014 campaign promise – which echoed his own pledges made several years earlier – to repeal Common Core.” Hillyer continues, “At least as importantly, it is imperative that he chooses a new state school superintendent who stands for excellence apart from any reliance on the flawed Common Core standards.”
What Hillyer may not know – or what he chooses to ignore – is that businesses, military leadership, and conservative elected officials have strongly and consistently defended the Common Core in Alabama.
Here are just a few examples that we’d like to make sure Hillyer is aware of:
- Former Alabama Governor Bob Riley: “Common Core establishes uniform standards … The standards demand accountability. They give the things that really matter — reading, writing, and arithmetic — priority over subject matter that does little or nothing to prepare kids for college and the workforce. And ultimately, the Common Core standards will make American students more competitive with their international peers.” (National Review, 3/25/14)
- US Army Lt. Gen. Mark Curran (retired): “Retreating [on Common Core] will make it all the more difficult to prepare our youth to succeed in a world that demands a high standard of performance from every worker — including those who aim to qualify for the honor of military service.” (com, 4/17/15)
- William Canary, Business Council of Alabama President and CEO: “We remain united with Alabama’s business, education and military communities as we move forward with offering our children a brighter future, regardless of the ZIP code in which they live.” (Alabama Business, January 2016)
Before arguing that Alabamans want to dump Common Core, it’s important to know where your state’s leaders stand on the issue.
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.