69ý

Federal

Duncan to Business: Defend Standards

By Andrew Ujifusa — April 23, 2013 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has a stern message for the business community: Step up the political advocacy to defend the Common Core State Standards and other changes to K-12 policy.

During the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s last week “Upgrade America” event in Washington, which focused on improving the quality of the labor force through education, Mr. Duncan said he did not want to see a repeat of what he says was the business community’s silence after passage of the No Child Left Behind Act when states responded by “dummying down” their standards.

“I don’t understand why the business community is so passive when these kinds of things happen,” he told the crowd.

The common core was a big topic at the meeting. Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, a Republican, said he was “very concerned” by the decision of the Republican National Committee, in an April 12 vote in Los Angeles, to officially oppose the common core. He said governors up for re-election in 2014 might start to get nervous about supporting the common standards.

“I think that could have an impact at the executive level of states,” Mr. Luna said.

In their resolution, RNC members said the common core represents an “inappropriate overreach” by the federal government that would require federally funded testing, as well as the collection and sharing of student and teacher data.

But at the Chamber meeting, New Mexico’s secretary-designate of education, Hanna Skandera, stressed that the common core was only a first step in improving education, and that the business community had a valuable lesson to teach as the “end user” of public schools: “You either make it, or you don’t.”

On another topic, Mr. Duncan said he was pleased with the way federal waivers of certain NCLB rules had proceeded with states. But he also mentioned that he was meeting later that day with U.S. Sens. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., the Senate’s top two legislators on K-12 policy, to discuss the feasibility of reauthorizing the law in the foreseeable future.

A version of this article appeared in the April 24, 2013 edition of Education Week as Duncan to Business: Defend Standards

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
AI and Educational Leadership: Driving Innovation and Equity
Discover how to leverage AI to transform teaching, leadership, and administration. Network with experts and learn practical strategies.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School Climate & Safety Webinar
Investing in Success: Leading a Culture of Safety and Support
Content provided by 
Assessment K-12 Essentials Forum Making Competency-Based Learning a Reality
Join this free virtual event to hear from educators and experts working to implement competency-based education.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal From Our Research Center How Educators Say They'll Vote in the 2024 Election
Educators' feelings on Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump vary by age and the communities where they work.
4 min read
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Jacob Lewis, 3, waits at a privacy booth as his grandfather, Robert Schroyer, fills out his ballot while voting at Sabillasville Elementary School, Nov. 8, 2022, in Sabillasville, Md.
Julio Cortez/AP
Federal Q&A Oklahoma State Chief Ryan Walters: 'Trump's Won the Argument on Education'
The state schools chief's name comes up as Republicans discuss who could become education secretary in a second Trump administration.
8 min read
Ryan Walters, then-Republican candidate for Oklahoma State Superintendent, speaks at a rally, Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City.
Ryan Walters speaks at a rally on Nov. 1, 2022, in Oklahoma City as a candidate for state superintendent of public instruction. He won the race and has built a national profile for governing in the MAGA mold.
Sue Ogrocki/AP
Federal Why Trump and Harris Have Barely Talked About 69ý This Election
Kamala Harris and Donald Trump haven't outlined many plans for K-12 schools, reflecting what's been the norm in recent contests for the White House.
6 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris participate during an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris participate in an ABC News presidential debate at the National Constitution Center on Sept.10, 2024, in Philadelphia.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Who Could Be Donald Trump's Next Education Secretary?
Trump must decide if he wants someone with a "proven track record" or a "culture warrior," says a former GOP Hill staffer.
9 min read
President Donald Trump, right, arrives in a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017.
President Donald Trump, right, arrives in a classroom at St. Andrew Catholic School in Orlando, Fla., on March 3, 2017.
Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP