Conservatives and the Common Core
The curriculum standards adopted by 45 states require students to read America's Founding texts.
Although the two of us have disagreed about several school-reform issues, we strongly believe that the Common Core State Standards, voluntarily adopted by 45 states, is one of the most promising education initiatives of the past half century. If implemented properly, they can better prepare students for college-level work and to gain the civic knowledge that is essential for democracy to prosper.
All Americans, including conservatives, should applaud these standards, which celebrate the country's foundational documents and enable students to share the heritage of Americans.
Unsurprisingly, the adoption of common educational standards is opposed by some hard-liners on the educational left. The Common Core's call for coherent, content-based math and literacy standards threatens to undo the watered-down version of progressive education thinking that has dominated the public schools over the past half-century. Indeed, progressive education philosophy opposes any set curriculum for the schools. Progressives tend to favor pedagogical approaches in the classroom such as "child-centered" instruction and "teaching for social justice," rather than rigorous academic content.
Much more puzzling has been the fervid opposition to the Common Core by some conservatives, including tea party activists, several free-market think tanks and, most recently, the Republican National Committee. The most frequently repeated complaint from the right is that states were pressured (or bribed) by the Obama administration