Ed week has an informative article this week on the 2014 elections and how that can affect education policy including common core implementation, A-F ratings for schools, and charter school support
First let me give you the current, scary scope of the make up of state leges and governorships in the states.
As of last week, the GOP controlled 26 legislatures and 30 governorships nationwide. In total, Republicans control both the executive and legislative branches of government in 23 states, while 15 states are in the hands of Democrats, and 11 are split, according to information from the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Nebraska has a unicameral, nonpartisan legislature.)
Republican control in almost half the states allowed the Rs and their corporate partners to accelerate their attempts to destroy public education. They legislated more impossible accountability measures, teacher evaluation methods that measure the poverty level of students more than anything else, and a reduction in the abilities of teachers to bargain collectively.
But now it seems, Republicans with their fingers in the air, checking the wind direction, are backing off Common Core and promising more education dollars in their states.
Nikki Haley, who embraced CC just over a year ago, is now willing to scrap it, saying that children in her state would not be educated in the same way as those in California. (Too bad, they'd perform better.) Republican incumbents (Rick Scott of FL) and challengers are also promising more money to education after the draconian cuts they made balancing their state budgets on the backs of public education.
So, now real educators and public school supporters have an opportunity to turn the curve this November.
But the chance to push back on those kinds of signature accomplishments from some lawmakers, combined with a desire to pressure leaders to restore funding and services, could invigorate many races and provide more opportunities for traditional education leaders.
"It's impossible to talk about your strategy in 2014 without going back and looking what happened in 2010," said Karen White, the national political director of the National Education Association, the nation's largest teachers' union, with 3 million members.
In fact, Ms. White said, the NEA has decided to invest more than 80 percent of its 2014 election war chest in state races, the largest-ever percentage the group has devoted to state contests.
What happens in the states will have a huge impact on public education. Out of the 36 governor races, GOP incumbents are running or are eligible to run in 20 states. Education will be a major issue in these states. Keep it at the forefront in your state. Thanks.