Omaha World - Herald (Nebraska) July 8, 2010

HEADLINE: Some leery of common education standards

By Joe Dejka

Fearing a federal power grab in the making, several top Nebraska elected education officials are having second thoughts about whether to join other states adopting common K-12 math and English standards.

Four members of the eight-person Nebraska Board of Education expressed concerns Wednesday about adopting the so-called Common Core State Standards.

Not doing so could make it harder for Nebraska to get federal education money. It could also subject Nebraska to academic criticism. That happened in Virginia, where officials balked at adopting the standards, and critics questioned their motives and the rigor of Virginia's schools.

Opponents of common standards fear they could be a step toward a national curriculum and national test controlled by the federal government.

Developed by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers, the core standards spell out what children should learn in school. State officials say Nebraska's standards generally mirror the core standards.

Nebraska initially endorsed the 48-state effort to create national standards - Alaska and Texas did not participate. The core standards were released in June.

Jim Scheer, vice president of the Nebraska Board of Education, said the state shouldn't adopt the standards.

Although states banded together to write the standards, the Obama administration has gotten involved, he said. The administration required states to commit to the standards to receive certain federal grants. For instance, in its application for federal Race to the Top funds, Nebraska pledged it would adopt the common standards.

The 48-state effort was "hijacked by the federal department of education," Scheer said. "We all needed dollars."

There is no mechanism for states to update or control the standards, he said.

Board member Robert Evnen of Lincoln said the idea started out as a "bottom-up" process with states free to participate or partially adopt standards. With federal involvement, the process has become "a top-down cram down," Evnen said.

Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed said at least 20 states have adopted the standards.

Supporters say the standards were designed to make America's youths competitive in a global economy and would put Nebraska in a better position to win federal grants.

However, adopting the standards could reduce state control of what Nebraska students learn, critics say.