Local news reports that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has signed an executive order abolishing Common Core in the state.
Tampa Bay Fox Affiliate Fox13 reports:
“One of the things we would constantly hear about on the campaign trail was a lot of frustration from parents in particular with this idea of Common Core,” said Gov. DeSantis. “When you complained… I heard you. I told you I’d do something about it. And today we are acting to bring promises to reality.”
DeSantis gave the order to replace Common Core-type standards with a new system that increases the quality of
curriculum, and places a higher emphasis on teaching civics.Florida education standards will not change this year. Gov. DeSantis said he and Commissioner Corcoran will seek input from teachers and parents, then present a reform plan to the legislature, to enact in 2020.
You may remember that Florida’s academic standards were tweaked and rebranded (Next Generation Sunshine State Standards), but still closely resembled the Common Core State Standards. Time will tell if this will bring a significant change, but it is encouraging to see Governor DeSantis follow through on a campaign pledge.
Outstanding. This is way overdue. Common Core is an in depth liberal indoctrination focusing on feelings, and not facts, logic, history or the Constitution. The College Board AP classes also need to be prohibited unless revised because the “father” of Common Core, David Coleman, now runs the College Board.
Texas forbade the adoption of Common Core standards in 2010. I was on the committee to rewrite the state mathematics standards in 2011. In grades K-5, I was one of a very few who supported traditional, explicit, objective-based standards. Everyone else supported or stayed quiet about the fuzzy approach supposedly designed to bring equity to girls and minorities (except Asians) in mathematics. The math curriculum director for the Texas Education Agency was a supporter of Core standards and managed to get many Core methods into the final product. Those standards determined the new state tests, which became heavy on wordy math problems that measured process, the heart of progressive curriculum, more than results.
To believe Florida will have a fair chance at designing “non-Common Core” teaching and materials is foolish UNLESS they have leaders who are dedicated to fighting the embedded teacher and administrator training that supports progressive methods. If these individuals are in the majority on the committee to write new standards, the state will get Common Core-aligned standards (with different words). One concern, they’ll point out, is “All teaching materials are aligned with Core standards.” That means they have to use “some” Core ideas.
This is like putting lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig. The progressives don’t care as long as It’s their pig.