Opposition to the educational standards known as Common Core has
come from an array of tea party covens, wingnut (non)think-tanks, Glenn
Beck, and the Koch Brothers' unAmericans for nonProsperity - and a few voices
on the left as well. But one of the most active sources of opposition
has been an unlikely group: a christian wingnut cabal that
works to defend the rights of homeschooling parents.Homeschoolers
are not actually covered by the educational standards. Still, the Home
School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) has spent tens of thousands of
dollars in opposition to the Core State Standards Initiative, including
federal lobbying, a microsite, and even a fully produced 39-minute
documentary. According to a press release, "HSLDA has been opposing
Common Core since 2009 and, as public concern over the standards grew,
HSLDA Chairman Michael Farris decided that creating a film about the
standards would be the best way to make information about Common Core
widely available." While HSLDA has tried to present these public school
standards as an "immediate threat" to homeschooling families, critics
from inside and outside of the homeschool movement wonder if it is part
of a pattern of fear-mongering by an organization eager to maintain its
membership base.
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