No to Common Core

Most citizens do not know about Common Core State Standards Initiative because the federal government incorporated it into the stimulus package of 2009. Many states signed on because of the promised stimulus moneys, but several are now trying to back out after gaining a fuller understanding of its implications.

If we want excellence in education, the Common Core curriculum is not the way to go. Education is not a "one-size-fits-all" process devoid of input on the local and parental level. Unproven and untested, it has drawn skeptical responses from many experts who doubt its academic effectiveness. Common Core requires students, their families and their teachers to submit to federally mandated course content, ineffective forms of assessment and extreme invasion of privacy. In addition, it would require taxpayers to carry the huge price tag, without the opportunity to voice objections.

Several states have rejected the Common Core program, and many others are seeking to withdraw from its requirements.

For the Missouri House Committee on Education, please weigh the grave effects that Common Core will have on our students and their families, our schools and economy, and ultimately our American culture and society. Please give serious consideration to serious citizen input. I urge the committee to do everything in its power to halt to the implementation of Common Core State Standards in our state.

DAVID A. LARSON, Jackson