Contact:
Devin Boyle | 202.445.0416 | Devin@dfer.org
Larry Grau | 317.696.6567 | Larry@dfer.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Democrats for Education Reform Warns that Retreating
from Common Core Will Hurt Indiana’s Students
INDIANAPOLIS – March 12, 2013 – Democrats for Education Reform Indiana released the following statement from State Director Larry Grau on Senate Bill 193 (SB193), which would halt Indiana’s participation in Common Core State Standards (Common Core):
“Halting the progress of Common Core in Indiana would be doing a tremendous disservice to our state’s students. Forty-four other states and all of Indiana’s neighbors have adopted these standards. Kentucky and Illinois, for example, are engaged in intense public relations and grassroots efforts to fully implement the standards in their states. If Indiana stops the implementation process by passing SB193, our kids will be sent to the back of the college admissions line – unable to compete with their peers from other states. The ACT is already aligning its standards with Common Core, and the SAT is expected to follow soon.
“The Common Core is a set of intelligently developed standards with strong bipartisan support. Participation does not in any way diminish Indiana’s high academic standards. In fact, it improves them. It does not tell Indiana teachers how to design curriculums, or force them to teach to the test. The Common Core establishes expectations for student outcomes, but allows teachers to determine how kids get there. Furthermore, this is not a federal program being forced on states, as opponents have claimed; state officials and education leaders from across the country worked together alongside teachers to develop these standards.
“Hoosiers must stand up in support of Common Core and hold our lawmakers accountable for their promises to ensure our kids have a bright future. If Indiana waivers, students in 44 other states will be racing to the top, while ours are pushed to the bottom.”
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(View PDF of Statement Here.)
(View PDF of Infographic Here.)