Opposition to Common Core remains

The development of the controversial Common Core State Standards (CCSS) raised questions from concerned citizens across the U.S, but many teachers and school administrators believe the goals and purpose of the Standards are a golden ideal. The education departments of 45 states and the District of Columbia chose to move forward for the good of American students, adopting the education guidelines and funneling millions of dollars into implementing the Standards in public schools. Advocates of the Common Core conducted education forums, town hall meetings, and teacher workshops to help the public understand the goals and purpose of the guidelines, which aim to close the achievement gap in America and prepare students for college and 21st century careers. But currently, states' education departments - many of which approved the CCSS without opposition - are taking a second look at the Common Core. 

States review the Common Core
In spite of many attempts to educate the national public on the goals and purpose of the CCSS, Arizona and Indiana will number among the states that want to review the Common Core. Arizona's Senate recently approved Senate Bill 1310, which prohibits the state from using any standards known as or associated with the Common Core. According to Sen. Al Melvin, R-Tucson, who sponsored the bill, the guidelines provided by the committee of governors and education experts, and the way schools were instructed to implement them are inadequate.

"Many citizens, I think the majority, have fundamental problems with Common Core and its implementation in the state," Melvin told the Associated Press. "I believe that we, as a state, can do a far better job in this area than the federal government dictating to us, and that's the thrust of this bill.'' 

In May 2013, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence signed a bill delaying the implementation of the CCSS, and the state's Senate committee for education development proposed a bill that would repeal the Standards from schools entirely. This came as a surprise to many who understand the hard work put into creating the CCSS and the commitment to the youth of America the Standards represent. The developers of the Common Core believe academic excellence will result in positive changes to the U.S. economy. They hope that students trained to think critically, solve problems creatively, and utilize the full extent of their reading comprehension and mathematical skills will become future leaders in the global economy.

Consequences of reversing Common Core integration
Opponents of the Common Core movement believe the Standards need to be improved, but it's unclear whether they understand the consequences of a complete repeal. Many states already spent millions of dollars implementing the CCSS in schools, training teachers how to instruct Common Core-aligned material, and purchasing CCSS-related books and exams.