Rod Blum, candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 1st Congressional district, says the Common Core Standards were poorly designed and testing students at a national, one-size fits all manner can’t produce reliable results.
“This is not a left versus right issue or a Democrat versus Republican issue – this is about the education of our children and grandchildren. Common Core is yet another example of the federal government overstepping its bounds – the carrot is always the allure of ‘free’ federal funding which virtually guarantees buy-in at the state and local levels.”
“One of my biggest issues with Common Core is the fact that it treats all students as identical, as the name of the program alludes to. It appears to me that Common Core emphasizes the teaching of facts versus the teaching of understanding. Being able to regurgitate tidbits about the Revolutionary War is a far cry from being able to understand what led to the war in the first place.”
“Much like ObamaCare, Washington is of the mindset that one size fits all throughout our vast and diverse country and I couldn’t disagree more. I strongly believe that education should be controlled at the state and local level.”
“I stand with Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who submitted a letter to the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education asking to ‘restore state decision-making’ and echo their sentiments that ‘parents ought to have a straight line of accountability to those who are making such decisions.’ Let’s hope that the Subcommittee’s Chair, Senator Tom Harkin, also a fellow Iowan, finds the same level of common sense with regard to Common Core as his Iowa colleague.”
