Every so often a public-policy issue emerges in which the politics of the moment eclipses the substance of the issue itself.
So seems to be the case with Common Core State Standards, the state-led education reform initiative that has strong support in the broad political middle, but passionate opposition on the far left and the far right.
Providing every young American with an equal chance at a good education regardless of where she grows up shouldn’t be a partisan ideal. It should be a constant American pursuit.
Democrats and Republicans alike face fractures within their ranks between moderates and ideologues, and some of the most vocal criticism of Common Core has come from the party extremes. Tea Partiers elicit fears of a federal takeover; teachers unions warn of unmanageable classroom burdens.
In the middle, many parents raise legitimate concerns about what implementation of high, consistent standards will mean for their child, and about what the changes will mean in practice.
In fact, the answer to those questions is uniform and compellingly simple: Common Core adoption means better schools, smarter students and a stronger America.
The more than 40 states working to implement Common Core Standards and student assessments aligned with them need strong and steady leadership to stay focused on meaningful education reform amid all the partisan rancor.
And New York seems to have found it in John King, the state education commissioner.
This month, King reiterated his commitment to high education standards.
“We have an opportunity to move away from the political debates that have distracted us for the last year,” he recently told a group of community leaders.
He has mobilized moderates — the individuals whose voices often go unheard — and encouraged everyday parents to push back against the bold and false claims often advanced from the fringe.
Effectively, King has doubled down on Common Core.
In recent weeks, he set to touring the state, listening to teachers and students, talking with parents and engaging business owners.
He correctly pointed out the challenge is especially difficult, because it requires simultaneously raising the bar on education standards and implementing the reform in 700 districts across the state.
“It’s going to require adjustments along the way,” he points out.
The implementation in New York hasn’t been perfect. Nor would one expect it to be. There have been hiccups along the way, and there will be more.
But contrary to our opponents’ take, Common Core works.
Abandoning Common Core now would squander the progress that has been made over the past four years, and create even taller hurdles for students, teachers and parents.
There is too much riding on the success of Common Core implementation to return to a set of inferior standards.
This spring, new performance data found high-school graduation rates reached 80 percent nationally, marking a notable improvement.
Still and lamentably, almost one out of three graduates today cannot pass the basic military entrance exam, and 60 percent of first-year college students require remediation.
We have to do better if we want a workforce that can sustain the US economy as the envy of the world.
The purpose of the Standards is to pull up academics in underperforming school districts and create a level playing field to help ensure that all students have a fair chance to succeed, no matter where they grow up.
It is past time for reasonable and sober minds to come together, shelve the silliness and make Common Core work for our kids and their future.
Equal opportunity is an American ideal, not a partisan one.
Harold Ford Jr., a former Democratic congressman from Tennessee, is a professor of public policy at New York University.