Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey Makes Smart Move Against Common Core

By: Patrick Hedger-Policy Director, American Encore

Today Arizona Governor Doug Ducey made a smart move against a dumb system that is failing American students nationwide. Governor Ducey called on the State Board of Education to scrap the controversial “Common Core” standards handed down by the federal government and to begin developing their own high-standards program. 

Common Core education standards have gained negative notoriety over the last few years with teachers, parents, and students alike for a multitude of reasons. Teachers have been stripped of their freedom to innovate in the classroom. Instead, Common Core is forcing them to apply a one-size-fits-all model to students with various backgrounds, skill sets, interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Teachers are stuck teaching to tests instead of inspiring their students. Students are stuck taking these tests, one after another, for hours on end. 

This is all to say nothing of the downright bizarre assignments and lessons being found in Common Core-compliant curriculums. Overt political agendas are finding their way into our student’s history books under Common Core. In addition, basic mathematics lessons found in Common Core classrooms are stumping not just our students, but some of our leading mathematicians as well! As George Orwell predicted in his famous novel about totalitarian governance, 1984, the government truly is trying to convince us that 2+2=5!

When teachers, parents, and students alike identify these problems, it helps when their voice does not have to travel all the way to Washington to effect the necessary change. This is one reason why the Founding Fathers left the role of education to state and local governments. The other reasons are so localities can adjust more easily to best meet the needs of their own populations and, further, to allow experimentation in education to occur in order to reveal the most successful practices. Common Core eliminates these critical benefits to our students. Therefore, Governor Ducey’s action against Common Core is clearly in the best interest of Arizona’s students. 

Moving Arizona away from the controversial Common Core standards immediately sets up the state for success down the road. Students educated in Arizona’s schools will be better prepared for college and careers than their counterparts in states that are not standing up to Washington. This is just another reason why American Encore is choosing to study and highlight Arizona under the Ducey administration as a testament to the power of America’s federalist system to return our nation to greatness.