In a move certain to bolster his national standing with conservatives, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal
sued the Obama administration Wednesday, hoping to strike a blow
against the controversial Common Core education standards and raising
his profile as he builds a likely presidential campaign.
....
"The federal government has hijacked and destroyed the Common Core
initiative," Jindal said in a statement. "Common Core is the latest
effort by big government disciples to strip away state rights and put
Washington, D.C., in control of everything."
Jindal, the governor who is always in campaign mode, filed a lawsuit against the Obama administration that will be paid for with the tax money of Louisiana citizens. The governor lost two earlier suits in state courts to stop Common Core, so now it's on to federal court in another grandstanding, frivolous lawsuit at the expense of the people of the state.
When the Louisiana education board embraced the standards in 2010,
Jindal supported them, saying they would help students prepare for
college and careers. He reversed course earlier this year, calling the
standards an effort by the Obama administration to meddle in state
education policy.
The governor was for the standards before he was against them. Neither the Louisiana Legislature, nor the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, nor State Superintendent of Education John White want to discontinue the use of Common Core standards, for which the teachers and students have been preparing for four years, with the first tests due in the spring of 2015. Does Jindal ever give a thought to the teachers and students who operate under conditions of uncertainty because of his own personal ambition?
As blogger LouisianaVoice said, Jindal is a 100% absentee governor. All his activities have to do with his fantasy of winning the Republican nomination for president, or at the very least vice-president, and then moving on to win election to higher office.
Neal McCluskey, of the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom, said he doesn't expect the lawsuit to be successful, even though he agrees with its premise.
....
"They've definitely got a steep hill to climb on this lawsuit," McCluskey said.
Exactly, but why would Jindal care? It's our money.
It's not important enough to me to go look it up, but I seem to recall that this whole Common Core stuff was dreamed up and promoted and voted on by the BushCheney regime and their righteous Republican cronies across the land - but oh my what an inconvenient truth that is, huh?
ReplyDeleteBush's "No Child Left Behind" and the National Governors Association (bi-partisan) were involved in the development of Common Core. I'm no great fan of CC as it's practiced in Louisiana because test scores weigh far too heavily in assessments that affect both students and teachers. Thus, teachers must be ever mindful of teaching to the tests.
DeleteJindal is pandering to the Tea Party extremists in the Republican party, and their objections have more to do with teaching real science and real history, rather than junk science and junk history, as they'd want it done. If there is to be a move away from CC, then it ought to be done in an orderly manner and with a worthy replacement, not for political reasons, such as states' rights. Jindal is the consummate opportunist, and his opposition to CC has nothing to do with improving education for the children of Louisiana and everything to do with advancing his political ambitions.
Having sued the President may become a requirement for being a credible candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed. Jindal is establishing his bona fides with the Tea Party. For a while, when he was in favor of Common Core before he was against it, he thought he could be a credible candidate for more moderate (sic) Republicans, but now I expect he sees the extremists as his only hope
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