On March 14, 2013 the PA State Board of Education (with Governor Corbett’s approval) voted to put into place Common Core Standards (CCS) in English and math. It sets into motion nationally mandated common course standards for all K – 12 students so that education will be standardized across the country. This effectively eliminated the ability of parents and local school boards to influence content standards to suit local needs.

Why is Common Core wrong for Pennsylvania?

• National control of school standards
• $650 million required to implement in PA
• CCS math standards will put PA’s students two years behind their peers in high-performing countries
• Parents and school boards will have no recourse to influence content or standards
• Undermines the US Constitution’s 10th Amendment authority of states over education
• Massive federal student tracking initiative instituted

Common Core is the culmination of many years of the expansion of national controls over what should be local educational issues. In the 1990’s proponents of national standards put forth a proposal that was so revisionist and politically correct that the US Senate voted 99 -1 for a bill (SR 66) that prevented its implementation. The proponents learned that in order for them to get new standards imposed they would need to impose the standards quickly and quietly and to start with less controversial subjects.

The current standards are limited to English and math, but will expand to include all subjects in coming years.

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