“Common education standards and assessments aligned to those standards are in the best interest of both Georgia and the nation. They will allow for an authentic, credible scoreboard that tells us how we are doing compared to students in other states.”
Despite an attempt by some Republicans in Georgia now to rewrite history, that statement in support of the Common Core State Standards did not come from President Barack Obama. It was uttered by former Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue, who co-chaired the Common Core State Standards Initiative of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers.
A practical leader, Perdue focused on preparing Georgia to thrive in the new global economy, developing international business ties and furthering the state’s reputation as an innovator and incubator. Perdue understood that stronger academic standards were a critical component of Georgia’s transformation, noting, “When American students have the skills and knowledge needed in today’s jobs, our communities will be positioned to compete successfully in the global economy.”
Georgia’s adoption of Common Core — along with 44 other states — signaled the state’s realization that its students were now vying for jobs against peers from not only New York City and Boston, but New Delhi and Beijing. Georgia leaders appeared to finally understand that the state’s economic fortune depended not on cheap labor and land but on a skilled workforce educated to the same high standards as workers in Massachusetts and Oregon.
Now, two years into the process of integrating Common Core math and reading standards into Georgia classrooms, some GOP leaders want to reverse the progress. A repeal would be a step back that would reinforce the stereotype of a regressive Southern state clinging to the past while watching its future slip away.
In an attempt to placate opponents, Gov. Nathan Deal signed an executive order Wednesday affirming the role of the state in controlling education standards and curriculum, but he wisely continued to express support for Common Core standards.
Critics condemn Common Core as an Obama invention, a contention easily disproved by the facts.
“The opponents are using some national script that is full of misinformation,” says Stephen D. Dolinger, president of the Georgia Partnership for Excellence in Education and a former Fulton schools chief. “What we need is a good conversation about what the facts really are: It is not a federal plot. It is not a national curriculum coming out of Washington. It is important for our conservative friends to know that it really was a group of Republican governors who first came together to say we need a stronger set of standards.”
Yes, Obama and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan have endorsed the standards, but so have teachers, parent groups, academics and researchers.
Another easily rebuked argument is that the Common Core Standards are weak. Prior to Common Core, Georgia overhauled its own standards, adhering to a similar process and similar benchmarks followed by the architects of Common Core. As a result, Georgia already had in place standards closely resembling those in Common Core.
“Georgia has been behind for a long time,” said Dolinger. “To make us competitive and let our children succeed at the levels they are capable of, they needed clear, high standards. Experts from around the country, including our own folks, worked on improving these standards.”
One of the strangest jabs at Common Core is that parents fear the standards will undermine the sanctity of student data. In poll after poll, the top concerns of parents are class size, teacher quality and school climate, not data sharing.
At the same time that some Republicans are battling Common Core, the nation’s business leaders are urging schools to learn from the world’s education leaders such as Finland, which, like most other high-performing nations, has national standards.
“What most countries around the world who are beating us educationally do is set clear standards, high standards,” said Michael Petrilli, executive vice president of the conservative-leaning Fordham Institute. “Over time, those countries find ways to give those schools more autonomy to go from good to great. We are still trying to get from bad to good. Common Core can help us get there.”
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