Relevant Groups and Individuals
STRONG OPPOSITION
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Parents Against the Common Core (PACC)
Parents Against Common Core is an organization formed out of frustration with the failure of non-responsive school administrators and politicians to address concerns with Common Core and the influence of bureaucratic institutions and corporate interest groups. American Principles in Action, a national organization fighting Common Core, joined forces with parents to form PACC. It is aimed at supporting a network of grassroots activists dedicated to fighting Common Core. |
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Bill Gates avidly supports Common Core and has said that "one textbook, or just a few aligned with the Common Core, would be an improvement over the numerous and varied textbooks available today". The Foundation has spent over $170 million to develop and promote the Common Core. |
National Parent Teacher Association (National PTA)
The National PTA comprises of millions of families, students, teachers, and business and community leaders. The President of the National PTA, Charles J. Saylors, announced that the "National PTA enthusiastically supports the adoption and implementation of all states of the Common Core State Standards". It has supported Common Core since 2009. It recently released a Parents' Guide to Student Success aimed at helping parents understand the Standards. The National PTA has educated and trained parents about Common Core in eight states (Florida, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, and Washington). |
Levels of Support
The largest groups with the most influence tend to support the Common Core Standards. However, unions like the NEA and AFT have serious criticisms about the implementation, which includes PARCC testing. Their current solution is to put off testing for a few years. There are also other groups like the PACC and many grassroots activists that oppose Common Core. However, many influential groups support Common Core. These groups such as the PTA and the U.S. Chamber have substantial money and power they can use to influence legislators and the public. Bill Gates is an extremely influential individual who has already contributed huge amounts of effort and money into supporting Common Core. |
Influencing Groups and Individuals
An important part of influencing these groups is to inform them about our opinions and experiences with PARCC testing. It is essential to keep the NEA and AFT critical of the implementation of Common Core. PACC has a petition on their website (parentsagainstthecommoncore.com) which can be electronically signed. And, interest groups opposing the Standards can be donated to in order to help them further the cause. |