TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 19, 2016) – A Kansas bill that would withdraw the state from Common Core standards passed out of an important committee on Wednesday. The legislation represents an important step toward nullifying nationalized education in the state.
A coalition of five representatives introduced House Bill 2676 (HB2676) on Feb. 10. The legislation declares “the state shall retain sole control over the development, establishment and revision of K-12 curriculum standards.” It goes on to void any action taken to implement Common Core or other national education standards.
“Any actions taken by any education entity or any state official to adopt, implement or align programs, assessments, testing, surveys or any educational materials or activities to the common core state standards, the social, emotional and character development standards, the national curriculum standards for social studies, the national health education standards, the national sexuality education standards, core content and skills, K-12 or any other academic standards not in the public domain, free of any copyright, are void beginning July 1, 2017.”
HB2676 mandates that new academic standards shall be developed through a state process. In committee, the bill was substituted for last year’s bill to withdraw from Common Core, HB2292. Now that is has cleared the House Education Committee, it will move on to the full House for consideration.
While HB2292 (Formerly HB2676) represents a powerful step toward permanently ending Common Core in Kansas, the process it not without its potential pitfalls. As Shane Vander Hart at Truth in American Education said about a similar bill passed in Tennessee last year, many Common Core replacement bills end up being little more than “rebranded” versions of the same program. Even if the new state standards completely reject Common Core, it doesn’t mean the state won’t continue to allow the federal government to influence its education system. It will require public and legislative vigilance to completely push the feds out of education in Kansas.
Common Core was intended to create nationwide education standards. While touted as a state initiative through the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the U.S. Department of Education was heavily involved behind the scenes. Up until recently, the DoE tied the grant of waivers from the No Child Left Behind Act to adoption of Common Core, using the standards as powerful strings to influence state educational policy. The Every Student Succeeds Act passed by Congress this month now prohibits the DoE from attempting to “influence, incentivize, or coerce State adoption of the Common Core State Standards … or any other academic standards common to a significant number of States.”
Even with the federal strings cut from Common Core for the time being, it is still imperative for each state to adopt its own standards. The feds can once again use these national standards to meddle in state education at any time if they remain in place. Just as importantly, one-size-fits-all standard simply don’t benefit children. State and local governments should remain in full control of their own educational systems.
Rejecting nationalized education standards is the first step toward bringing true academic choice, and freedom. Passage of this legislation into law represents a positive step forward for the people of Kansas and a path for other states to follow.
If you live in Kansas: click HERE and follow the instructions to help get these bills passed.
If you live in another state: click HERE for information on Common Core initiatives in your state.
