Just a few short months ago, after a heated, summer debate on Common Core, Rep. Tim Kelly (R-Saginaw) a staunch supporter of Common Core drafted a concurrent resolution that allowed Common Core implementation to go forward. At that time, Rep. Kelly told reporters at the Detroit News,
“I think that we want to get this right,” Kelly told reporters. “I think with this resolution, we’vemarginalized, quite frankly, the anti-crowd into a very minute number. If you can’t sign on to this, you’re just simply reading too much into this or you’re reading so much anti (Common Core rhetoric) … and have poisoned yourself so much that you can’t come back from it.” (Detroit News article archived)
My how things change in a few short months. It appears that Kelly now concedes that the Common Core may not actually improve student performance. In a guest editorial for the Detroit Free Press, Rep. Kelly admits that one could conclude that “Common Core will have little effect” on student performance.
“Whether or not Common Core will truly lead to improved student performance in Michigan, or across America, remains to be seen. Already, more than two decades of standards-based reform has done little to raise U.S. student achievement, so I suppose one could conclude that Common Core will have little effect, as well. There is a reform measure, however, that has proved to be a winner, especially for poor and minority students — and that is private/parochial school vouchers.”
This is an interesting admission from Rep. Kelly. Now after the dust has settled and districts are implementing Common Core he admits it is just an experiment that may not even work. Has Rep. Kelly “poisoned himself” and is he now fighting against the Common Core? Not likely. But the fact that he is now admitting that Common Core may not work to push vouchers makes us wonder what are the true motives of those who support Common Core. Is it to eliminate all options that do not align with the Common Core?
In a email reply, Melanie Kurdys responded to his editorial. She wrote,
I was heartened to see you admit that there is no evidence that Common Core will improve education outcomes for students. Clearly, this is a huge experiment. I would disagree with your claim that the Common Core resolution you folks passed addresses the concerns of those still hesitant and I believe you will find many parents and teachers with concerns agree with me. Many of us still believe Common Core will not only be ineffective, but will be harmful.
That said, parents need an option, a place to go to get their child educated which has not embraced Common Core. Right now, the only places that can happen in Michigan include private, parochial and homeschool. The problem with vouchers is it gives the state power to force private and parochial schools to adopt Common Core.
Even if you pass a law now that permits private and parochial schools to accept vouchers without having to adopt Common Core, that could easily change in the future. The idea of vouchers dangles money in front of organizations, again, which always ends up coming with strings.
Kurdys concludes with a very good question,
As an advocate of Common Core, is it your intent to ensure that no options remain for students to be educated outside the influence of Common Core in Michigan?