In the 12th (has it really been twelve?) GOP Debate on Thursday Donald Trump continued to voice his distaste for the Common Core State Standards Initiative, a voluntary set of guidelines for state education programs. When asked why he didn’t like Common Core Trump said it was “Education through Washington, D.C. … It’s all been taken over now by the bureaucrats in Washington.”

Actually, Common Core is an initiative, not a requirement, and not a federal program at all. It is a set of standards and recommendations created by educators and state governors, not the federal government. It is also a voluntary program, though performance on the evaluations is tied to the Race To the Top federal grant money. There is and was no federal mandate to adopted Common Core.

The bottom line is that the way that Trump is construing Common Core is wrong. It is a choice that is made by the states on an individual basis, and in fact there are 8 states that have not adapted the Common Core standards (including my state Oklahoma). Doesn’t sound like a very effective federal takeover, Donald.

Sources:
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/mar/10/donald-trump/common-core-education-through-washington-dc-trump-/
http://www.corestandards.org/standards-in-your-state/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/fact-checking-the-12th-republican-debate/
http://www.corestandards.org/about-the-standards/