Letter to the Editor: Common Core, by CCTA Education Chairman, Nancy Murdoch

The Sun-Journal recently had an article touting Common Core in education and how this program would benefit students in Craven County schools. There are many myths and misunderstandings about the program, and most educators have been instructed to praise Common Core, regardless of the facts.


Many proponents of Common Core would have us believe it was state-led project. The truth is it was created by private interest in DC. In order to provide a façade of state involvement, the creators enlisted the aid of the National Governors Association. The NGA doesn’t include all governors and is a trade association not directly involved in education. Much of the creative work was done by Achieve, Inc., a DC non-profit that has been a long-time supporter of national standards and curriculum. Funding came from private interests, including the Gates Foundation.

Many would have us believe the Federal government is not involved with CC, however the US Department of Education has poured millions of dollars into creating the national tests, as well as providing the carrot for state participation. The carrot: funding through the stimulus package for Race to the Top. When a state adopts CC they must accept the standards and may not delete anything or make changes. Any added content will not be covered on the national test.

While proponents of CC argue that the standards are rigorous, many who have reviewed the program say otherwise…calling it “a race to the middle”. Stanford professor, James Milgram, the only mathematician on the CC validation committee, stated the math standards are so bad they will place US students two years behind other high-performing nations. He refused to sign the validation. He is not alone. An English educator on the committee advised reading standards are so poor that the level for high school graduation will be at about the 7th-grade level.

One of the most disturbing elements of CC is that states that took federal money had to commit to build student databases. These databases were designed to track each child from preschool through college and into the workplace. Federal education privacy laws were changed to allow sharing of the database with any other government entity, or even private ones as long as it was done to “audit or evaluate” an education program. The databases will include psychological testing results, as well as personal and family information. A national student database is a violation of a Federal statute which prohibits this kind of activity.

North Carolina has signed on to Common Core, but plans to examine it further. Parents and concerned citizens should do their own research and contact their elected local and state officials. It’s apparent to those who have really looked at Common Core that it is rotten to the core.

Nancy Murdoch Havelock, NC