Oil giant ExxonMobil is promoting the Obama administration’s controversial national education standards push through television ads and a dedicated page on its website.
To date, 46 states have signed on to the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which would nationalize the content taught in every public school across America.
While Education Secretary Arne Duncan derides as a “conspiracy theory” the notion that common core standards are being imposed on states, the administration has conditioned access to federal funding for Race to the Top and No Child Left Behind waivers on standards adoption.
Beyond even that “incentive,” the Education Department would directly finance the national tests to administer in all states with common core curricula in place, meaning the federal government will be assuming even greater control over decisions that should – and have traditionally been – reserved for state and local governments.
But ExxonMobil is throwing its weight behind common core national standards, airing a television ad promoting the effort and touting it on its “Let’s Solve This” web page.
“If Exxon – or any other company for that matter – wanted to ensure an educated workforce down the road,” commented Heritage education policy expert Lindsey Burke, “the last thing they should be doing is supporting further centralization in education.”
“It will be market-driven reforms like school choice that will reform American education – not top down mandates about curriculum from Washington,” Burke added. “And make no mistake about it – the Common Core national standards push has been heavily incentivized by the administration, and has lost any semblance of being ‘voluntary.’”