Jason France’s Leadership in the Common Core Fight in Louisiana and Why He is the Best Candidate in District 6
Big Education Ape: NPE Endorses Jason France, AKA Crazy Crawfish, for BESE – The Network For Public Educationhttp://bit.ly/1TXoLG8
One of the re-occurring questions I get on the campaign trail is my position on Common Core. So let me say this in no uncertain terms – Common Core is a disaster for Louisiana.
I was one of the first people in the state to raise the alarm bells about Common Core, starting about 3 years ago. Before being against Common Core became cool, I was one of the lone voices against this federal overreach, and one of the earliest leaders in the movement and I received a lot of ridicule in those days.
Before Governor candidate John Bel Edwards had formed an opinion on the subject Lee Barrios (running in BESE district 1) met John Bel to educate him on the topic in a CC’s coffee house a few years ago. Edwards had not made up his mind at that point, but we did our best to set him on a path to asking more questions.
I was a speaker at the two largest rallies against Common Core in Baton Rouge (one held on the steps of the Claiborne building, September 28th 2013 sponsored in part by the Greater New Orleans Tea Party, and another on the steps of the capital on June 14, 2014, sponsored by the Libertarian Party of Louisiana.
Me at the First anti-Common Core rally on steps of Claiborne building (I was a speaker and tied this banner to the staircase – September 28, 2013.
Before the national consciousness was awakened, I was fighting and writing about Common Core on my blog. I wrote a piece as a parent that received national attention and was used an example in national articles alongside comedian Louis C.K. My signature piece also won the notice of Motoko Rich, from the New York Times, (who came down to Louisiana to meet with me and parents I recommended) Aljazeera America, NPR, among others.
I am not just a statewide recognized opponent of Common Core, I am a nationally recognized one.
Here is a piece by New York Times education writer Motoko Rich where I am quoted and referenced:
Others who oppose the Common Core in Louisiana said the governor’s actions were more political theater than anything else. “If his intent was to stop it, it was very ineffective,” said Jason France, an education bloggerwho plans to run for the state education board next year. “All it’s done is lead to chaos.”
As noted in the preceding article, Common Core is one of the reasons I decided to run for the state school board. I announced my intentions in April of 2014 and identified Common Core as one of the issues I wanted to address.
Here is one of my more popular pieces on Common Core that gained nationwide and even international attention with many tens of thousands of views and republications.
That piece starts with an intro of the situation in Louisiana most people were unaware of. Louisiana’s BESE board adopted Common Core in 2010 before the standards were even completed and without following the Administrative Procedures Act or providing a chance for the public to provide input. In fact, the public could not easily have provided input Jason France’s Leadership in the Common Core Fight in Louisiana and Why He is the Best Candidate in District 6 | Crazy Crawfish's Blog:
