October 20, 2013

The Arguers in the For or Against Position on Common Core

This article is entitled The Common Core Money War, however, the name is not a good one. The article starts out talking about the money that proponents are spending to convince people that Common Core is a good thing:
"...proponents would appear to have all the advantages. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation already has pumped more than $160 million into developing and promoting the Common Core, including $10 million just in the past few months, and it’s getting set to announce up to $4 million in new grants to keep the advocacy cranking. Corporate sponsors are pitching in, too. Dozens of the nation’s top CEOs will meet today to set the plans for a national advertising blitz that may include TV, radio and print."
 And also briefly mentions the cost to opponents:
Opponents, meanwhile, project an image of scrappy grassroots gumption: One rancher in Alabama said he would sell off a cow to cover the costs of an anti-Common Core town hall. But they’re backed by an array of organizations with multimillion dollar budgets of their own and much experience in mobilizing crowds and lobbying lawmakers, including The Heritage Foundation, Americans for Prosperity, the Pioneer Institute, Concerned Women for America and FreedomWorks.
But after that it moves into the tactics that both sides are using to get their message across. One of my favorite parts reads: 
The battle lines defy neat partisan categories: Teachers unions have joined hands with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the Business Roundtable and the Obama administration in promoting the standards, which nearly every state has adopted. On the other side, the Democratic Progressive Caucus of Florida finds itself on the same team as tea party activists.
The article is a good read because it demonstrates and forewarns the tactics that proponents are/will be using to convince us all this is a great thing, as well as shares a bit about how the fight against it is going.

Find the full article here and be sure to click through to read page 2.

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