Get Schooled: Opposing Common Core: Education decisions best made locally
By Maureen Downey
Last night, I posted a pro Common Core piece by Republican Sen. Fran Millar of Dunwoody. Here is a piece in opposition by GOP Sen. William Ligon of Brunswick.
The Republicans are meeting this weekend in Athens where there will be a push for a resolution calling for Georgia to repeal the Common Core. Millar is expected to challenge the resolution.
Ligon serves as Chairman of the State and Local Governmental Operations Committee. He represents the 3rd Senate District, which includes Brantley, Camden, Glynn, and McIntosh counties and portions of Charlton County.
One interesting argument that he makes is that the Common Core Standards are "deficient." Prior to Common Core, Georgia overhauled its own standards, following a similar process and similar benchmarks adopted by the architects of Common Core. As a result, Georgia already had in place standards very closely resembling those in Common Core. As one state official told me, Georgia students will get Common Core, with or without the Common Core label. Essentially, the Common Core and the home-grown Georgia Performance Standards are the same.
By William Ligon
Perhaps never before in American history has K-12 education experienced such a huge shift from local to federal educational control with less involvement of elected legislators. The Race to the Top (RTTT) grant process bypassed a fundamental