Common Core

Columnist: Conservatives Turn Against Common Core.

In a column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (5/1, Bookman), Jay Bookman writes about the Common Core Standards' having originated from such conservative politicians as former George Gov. Sonny Perdue (R) and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), noting that now, "right-wing paranoia profiteers such as Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin have targeted Common Core as some sort of secret conspiracy against the youth of America," and other conservatives are no turning against the standards. Bookman describes various state legislation that would withdraw the Common Core, and notes that the opposition is twofold: Critics say that the "standards are flawed and that implementation will be difficult," and "sees something sinister in any form of national standard, regardless of its contents or source."

Some Conservatives, Liberals United In Common Core Opposition.

The Daily Caller (5/2, Soave) reports that both "conservative and liberal activists" oppose the Common Core Standards, "albeit it for very different reasons." The piece notes that "mounting opposition from conservative groups - as well as teachers unions - has forced administrators and politicians to halt implementation." The article lists a number of victories that opponents of the standards have won recently, and notes that conservatives worry that they "will gradually erode states' rights, stifle competition between school systems, and act as a backdoor for the Obama administration to get a left-leaning political agenda into the classroom." Meanwhile, as Common Core-aligned assessments come into being, teachers unions "worry students' poor performances could be held against them."

Blogger: Common Core Causes Republican Schism.

DF Oliveria writes at the Spokane (WA) Spokesman-Review (5/2) "Huckleberries Online" blog that while Idaho's "Republican US Senators are split" on the Common Core Standards, the RNC "unanimously passed a resolution condemning the Common Core" in April. Oliveria mulls whether the "battle" is "a fight between the center-right wing of the Republican Party and the Tea Party wing."