I've been fretting about a ballot initiative to repeal the Common Core in Massachusetts, but it looks like our local shenanigans pale in comparison to what's happening elsewhere. This week, authorities in Arkansas arrested a man for threatening to murder a group of judges, unless they forced schools to stop using the Common Core:
According to court documents, Bryan threatened to hang the mayors ofAshdown, Hope, De Queen, Lewisville, Nashville, Prescott and Murfreesboro from the “mighty oaks” on their courthouse lawns if they didn’t force local schools to replace the Common Core curriculum with the Bible.
While I usually like the idea of people being more passionate about public education, this is not what I had in mind.
All kidding aside, the Common Core unfortunately has become embedded in a broader set of culture wars about the role of government. The idea of having high standards for every child in this country should be the kind of thing that exists outside of the polarized political milieu that we currently endure, but here we are.