Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump has argued that our political, policy and economic systems are rigged against ordinary Americans. The process that gave us Common Core is a perfect example of a rigged system in action.

The 2016 Presidential candidates stances on Common Core.

Some of the most reliable yardsticks in monitoring academic progress in K-12 education are the assessments known as the Nation's Report Card, officially the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The results from its 2015 assessments are in and they are not encouraging.

Note to 2016 GOP contenders: The Common Core has won the war.
Republican presidential candidates are still bashing the divisive K-12 standards. Donald Trump recently called the Common Core a “complete disaster,” and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz proclaimed they should be abolished — along with the Education Department.

Results for some of the states that participated in Common Core-aligned testing for the first time this spring are out, with overall scores higher than expected though still below what many parents may be accustomed to seeing.

STANDARDIZED tests are commonly blamed for narrowing the school curriculum to reading and math. That’s one reason Congress is considering changes in the law that could lead states to put less emphasis on test scores. But even if we abolished standardized tests tomorrow, a majority of elementary schools would continue to pay scant attention to subjects like history and science.

Principal Krystal Hardy has dedicated herself to improving the culture and upping the test scores at a struggling New Orleans charter school. Her third-graders for one take 14 standardized tests including Common Core ones each year.

The Common Core education standards have become a lightning rod in many of the states where they have been rolled out. But that controversy has largely avoided the place where they have been in effect the longest.

Kentucky is in its fourth year of testing linked to Common Core State Standards, at a time when most other states are counting the tests for the first time. While students here were slow to show improvement, scores

Wisconsin Gov. Scot Walker said he would “absolutely” sign a bill repealing Common Core in his state.

Glenn Beck, interviewing Walker on the radio Monday morning, told the governor he is “seemingly a little noncommittal on Common Core. Will you sign, if it comes to your desk, a full repeal of Common Core in Wisconsin?”

“Absolutely. I proposed it in my budget,” Walker responded. “Years ago, before I was governor, the previous legislature, previ

Since his presidential campaign announcement Monday, the White House press corps has been fascinated with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).