The Common Core “Opt-Out”
By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK It is easy to see why people often feel overwhelmed by the prospects of changing the way our schools and colleges operate. Powerful vested interests can make the task seem insurmountable, even when the polls indicate that the majority of the country agrees with those seeking the change. Examples abound, everything from school prayer to tenure rules to left-wing biases in school textbooks. But the situation is not hopeless. The so-called Common Core “opt-out” is showing us how a grassroots movement can successfully challenge the powers-that-be in the education establishment and government. An Associated Press story on April 18 reports that “thousands of students are opting out of the new standardized tests aligned to the Common…Continue Reading