Jim Stergios Notes Duncan Deviation Into the Danger Zone
A sharp-minded clip from the recent Rock the Schoolhouse blog post at the Boston Globe:
In addition to the lagging time to grasp the real policy questions before them, the past three years have brought a sea-change in the political landscape. The 2010 elections changed the make-up of state legislatures dramatically, with a greater number of fiscal conservatives who look warily at unfunded federal mandates and overreach. With the new conditions, never approved by Congress, that Sec. Duncan is advancing, there is a growing realization among state legislators that the national standards are not truly voluntary. Even a stalwart supporter of a big USDOE like Mike Petrilli of the DC-based Fordham Institute recognizes that with the No Child Left Behind waivers Sec. Duncan:
“seems compelled to attach mandates to his forthcoming NCLB waivers that will require adoption of the Common Core standards.No, his team won’t mention the Common Core, but everybody
