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Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Obama Makes Education A Presidential Debate Subject While Discussing Gun Violence

Obama Makes Education A Presidential Debate Subject While Discussing Gun Violence:


Obama Makes Education A Presidential Debate Subject While Discussing Gun Violence

In perhaps the biggest pivot of the presidential debate Tuesday night, President Barack Obama turned a question about gun violence into an answer about education. The twist is especially notable in a campaign year when schools have gotten little play.

After saying "we haven't had a chance to talk about education much," Obama pointed to a wiggly point in education policy, while not directly naming it: the Common Core State Standards. "It is very important to understand that the reforms we've put in place, working with 46 governors around the country, are seeing schools … starting to succeed."

While it's true that 46 governors have agreed to adopt (mostly) higher common educational standards, known as