Common Core Initiative Divides Republican Party
Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 -- 6:25 AM
-More than five years after U.S. governors began a bipartisan effort to set new standards in American schools, the Common Core initiative has morphed into a political tempest fueling division among Republicans.The U.S. Chamber of Commerce leads establishment voices, such as possible presidential contender Jeb Bush, who hail the standards as a way to improve student performance and, over the long term, competitiveness of American workers.
Many archconservatives, tea party heroes Rand Paul and Ted Cruz among them, decry the system as a top-down takeover of local schools. The standards were developed and are being implemented by states, though Common Core opponents argue that President Barack Obama's administration has encouraged adoption of the standards by various parameters it set for states applying to get lucrative federal education grants.
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