Parents Turn on Common Core

http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/2014/10/28/gallup-more-parents-now-oppose-common-core-standards

Poll: Parents Turn on Common Core

Nearly two-thirds said they back national standards, but more now view Common Core negatively.

The more parents hear about the Common Core State Standards, the less they like them. 

A new Gallup poll shows that while the number of parents familiar with Common Core has remained steady since April – the last time parents were polled – an increasing number of public school parents view the standards negatively. The poll, which was conducted Sept. 16-17 and sampled 532 parents, found 35 percent of parents view the standards negatively, up from 28 percent in April. The number of parents who view them positively dropped from 35 percent in April to 33 percent, while those who had no opinion or had not heard of the standards dropped from 37 percent to 32 percent. 

[READ: Common Core Support Waning, Most Now Oppose Standards, National Surveys Show]

Most parents also still support the idea of having national education standards, although that number has slipped to 65 percent, from 73 percent in April. American parents also still mostly support using standardized computer-based tests to measure student performance, and linking teacher evaluations to student test scores. 

         

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Much of the souring attitude toward Common Core comes from stronger opposition among Republicans, wrote Gallup analyst Justin McCarthy in a report on the poll. 

The number of Republican parents who hold a negative view of the standards has jumped from 42 percent in April to a solid majority of 58 percent in September, 35 percent of whom said they had a "very negative" view of the standards. Meanwhile, opposition among Democratic parents has remained fairly stable – about twice as many view the standards positively. 

"This likely means that leaders in Republican states will continue to feel grassroots pressure to resist the standards, even if implementation proceeds apace elsewhere," McCarthy wrote. "However, without a larger proportion of Democratic parents backing the initiative, it's conceivable that serious repeal efforts could take hold anywhere."

[MORE: Common Core Status in Flux as States Debate Standards, Tests]

Many state leaders have already begun distancing themselves from the standards, particularly with elections quickly approaching. Indiana, Oklahoma and South Carolina have dropped the standards, while several others have passed bills to review or revise them. Meanwhile, leaders who once supported the standards, such as Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a Republican, have significantly reversed their positions on the standards. 

"This might not be the end of major opposition among the states," McCarthy wrote. "Common Core has been an issue in many of the gubernatorial elections taking place this November, the outcomes of which could affect how the standards are implemented – if at all."