Pushmipullyu Politics and the Common Core in Indiana

• In Event: 75.060 - Roundtable Session 33
  In Roundtable Session: 75.060-8 - Federalism and Governing Education Today

Abstract

This paper examines the political dimension of a qualitative study on teachers’ transition to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), answering the question of how (and why) partisan politics is affecting k-12 public education in general—and standards and assessment in particular—in Indiana. Indiana has become the first state to withdraw from the CCSS, an action precipitated by two Tea Party-inspired legislative acts. Though the policy context in Indiana is exacerbated by tension between the Democratic Superintendent and Republican Governor, it can serve as a portent for what may befall other states in similar situations in which the CCSS has become the lightning rod for political contestation of educational spaces.

Authors

• Tara Star Johnson, Purdue University

• Tiffany Sedberry, Purdue University