A grassroots backlash is brewing in Indiana, the first state to officially withdraw from Common Core, because parents feel those drafting the new standards aren’t taking their input seriously.
“It’s disappointing that some of our, many, all of our concerns about the content appear not to have penetrated to these people,” explained Heather Crossin, an Indiana mom and Common Core opponent, to The Daily Caller.
After officially rejecting Common Core last week, Gov. Mike Pence said in a statement that Indiana is taking steps to develop new standards written “by Hoosiers for Hoosiers” that are “uncommonly high.” But parents remain concerned that the new standards will be different in name only.
Arizona, Iowa and Florida have already rebranded Common Core. They have adopted “The Iowa Core,” “Next Generation Sunshine State Standards,” and “Arizona College and Career Ready Standards” respectively. Louisiana is considering a similar tactic. (RELATED: Crafty! Arizona unveils plan to fool parents by changing Common Core name, nothing else)
Crossin said it’s not good enough to simply run Common Core through an Indiana process and call that federalism, because parents are concerned primarily with the content of the standards. “If you called Obamacare by a different name, and ran it through a Hoosier process, would you like it any better?” Crossin asked. “The answer is no.”
Despite requests from parents for a current draft, another draft of the new standards will not be released until April 14. Indiana’s education roundtable will vote on the standards a week later.
A state analysis of the first draft showed 90 percent of the English standards for grades 6 through 12 came almost verbatim from Common Core. “All of this is extremely concerning when you consider what’s at stake,” said Crossin.
Lou Ann Baker, spokeswoman for Indiana’s Center for Career Education and Innovation, said more than a hundred teachers from all over the state are working with subject matter experts to select what they feel are the most essential learning outcomes. She said they’re focused on the right content and don’t care where the standards come from.
“It has not been done blindfolded with people throwing darts at a donkey on the wall,” Baker said. “Its all been extremely focused and extremely intense and extremely dedicated.”
If the next draft is indeed another rebrand of Common Core, Crossin said she and other parents would call for a rejection of those standards and probably a reinstatement of Indiana’s previous set of standards. She said that set of standards is more rigorous and appropriate than the recent draft of new standards or the Common Core. “I consider the Common Core to be a dumbed down set of standards,” said Crossin.
Emmett McGroarty, executive director of education at The American Principles Project, told The DC that Common Core is “one of the greatest deceptions ever foisted upon the American people,” but parents who are pushing back are very well educated on the subject.
He said politicians who think they can ignore the issue or “trick the public” by rebranding the standards are in for a rude awakening. “That just doesn’t square with reality,” said McGroarty.