Oklahoma State Senator Clark Jolley has done an about-face and voted in support of HB 3399, which removes the legislative mandate requiring adoption of Common Core State Standards. The measure calls for the State Board of Education to develop Oklahoma standards. Jolley’s reversal comes after public backlash against Common Core led the House to pass the measure removing the mandate. The Senate Education Committee had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the table, but approved it for consideration by the Senate, which passed it 37-10.

Senator Jolley was a driving force behind bringing Common Core to Oklahoma, authoring the legislation in 2010 that implemented it. I have read numerous complaints from parents and others that Jolley and other legislators completely ignored their concerns about Common Core. Jolley and Senate Education Committee Chairman John Ford, also a Common Core supporter, killed bills that would have examined the cost of Common Core before they could even have a hearing before the […] → Keep reading