For all candidates who have taken a “wait and see” approach on the federally supported Common Core State Standards, the results are in, and they don’t look good for Common Core. A new PDK/Gallup poll takes a comprehensive look at how public school parents look at education, with some very revealing results.
Common Core Rejected. First, let’s look at how parents looked at Common Core: Asked whether they “favor or oppose having teachers in their community use the Common Core standards to guide what they teach”, parents said they oppose the standards 54-25.
What About Standardized Testing? A lot of states have tried to bait and switch, rejecting the Common Core itself, but requiring testing that adheres to Common Core (see Wisconsin under Scott Walker). This approach probably doesn’t seem popular with parents, either: Asked whether the emphasis on testing was “Too Much” “Not Enough” or “Just the Right Amount”, 67% of parents said too much:
With education shaping up to be a major issue this year, it’s important to note that parents across America are rejecting the Common Core and the restrictive standards that go with it. Any candidate making these standards a part of their platform is likely to have problems reaching out to them next year.
Nick Arnold is a researcher for American Principles in Action.
