Letter: Public had no voice in Common Core decision

If you have children in the public school you have probably heard of Common Core State Standards. Common Core claims to have more rigorous standards. What could be wrong with that? We all want our children to get the best education possible.

The Common Core is an unproven, untested, set of standards that are aligned with UN goal of global citizenship. We are told they are state led. That’s simply not true. The Common Core standards were initiated by private interests in Washington, D.C., without any representation from the states. The Legislature was not involved in adopting these standards. We have been told that they are just standards. Standards drive curriculum. The federal government is the only one funding the writing of the standardized tests. That makes this a nationalized education. We can only add 15 percent to the curriculum. What does that do to our local control?

We believe that a decision that affects our children’s education should not be made without a much broader discussion, validated research and much greater input from parents and citizens than it was originally afforded.

Mary Scheel-Buysse

For South Dakotans Against Common Core

Sioux Falls