Common Core is conservative idea, good policy

William J. Bennett, former education secretary for President Reagan, defended the Common Core education standards, which have been attacked by some conservative Kansas legislators. He argued in a Wall Street Journal commentary that the fundamental idea behind a core curriculum – “preserving and emphasizing what’s essential, in fields like literature and math, to a worthwhile education” – is a conservative idea and good policy. And he said that much of criticism of the standards is based on myths, such as that Common Core involves a required reading list or that government mandates particular textbooks. As Bennett noted, “the standards do not prescribe what is taught in our classrooms or how it’s taught.” – Phillip Brownlee

This story was originally published September 11, 2014 at 12:05 PM with the headline "Common Core is conservative idea, good policy."