Grassroots? Did she really say that Common Core was a grassroots effort?
AS you read this this letter, ask yourself when you first learned about Common Core. Was it in 2010 when the NH Board of Ed voted to adopt the standards to try to get Race to the Top $$ ?
The legislators didn’t even know about Common Core. How can any U.S. Senator say this was grassroots when parents to this day are just discovering how bad this education reform is for their children.
November 24, 2014
Dear *****,
Thank you for contacting my office about the Common Core State Standards for English language arts/literacy and mathematics education. I appreciate hearing from you about this initiative.
The Common Core is a voluntary, collaborative effort between state governments, the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. This grassroots effort occurred at the state level and established guidelines for what knowledge students should be able to demonstrate at the end of each school year. States worked together to develop the Common Core standards in an effort to put in place a level playing field for students in the states throughout the country. Forty-three states and the District of Columbia have decided to participate in the Common Core; the New Hampshire State Board of Education voted in favor of participating on July 8, 2010.
Participation in the Common Core standards is voluntary and states signed on individually. However, a state’s participation in the Common Core was included in the evaluation of the state’s application for the Obama Administration’s Race to the Top initiative. As you know, the Race to the Top program is an effort to reform and improve the nation’s public school system. It offers states, counties and school districts $4.35 billion in federal grants that are distributed through a national competition. To date, New Hampshire has not received any funding through the Race to the Top program.
Please be assured that I will keep your thoughts in mind as implementation and review of the Common Core standards continues. I will continue my work to ensure that every child has equal access to the quality educational opportunities that are so critical to their future. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts with me, and please do not hesitate to contact my office with any future concerns.
Sincerely,
Jeanne Shaheen
United States Senator
P.S. It is my priority to ensure that you receive a timely response. However, postal mail may be significantly delayed in reaching my office due to security measures in the U.S. Senate. I encourage you to stay in touch through my websites: www.shaheen.senate.gov/contact,www.facebook.com/SenatorShaheen and www.twitter.com/SenatorShaheen.