Federalization of Education

Federalization of education was the most heavily discussed topic this past week when the Republican candidates for the office of Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction met in Riverton for their final debate ahead of the primary elections on Tuesday, August 19th.

Sheryl Lain, Bill Winney and Jillian Balow took the stage to wrangle over this and numerous other questions on education from a panel of journalists. From education vouchers to child restraint laws to teachers carrying guns in schools, the night was filled with discussions around many areas of education. But the federal government's involvement in education was the longest and most in-depth discussion, and the one that everyone kept asking about.

For those still hoping to dismiss the clear and apparent federalization of public education through such things as a national standard –that is, the Common Core- as some silly right wing conspiracy theory, this debate did little to advance their cause.

All three candidates throughout the evening were eager to prove their conservative credentials by establishing their individual desires to hold back the tide of federal edicts and mandates. All three candidates voiced their opposition to the Common Core State Standards, t different degrees, and called them for the most part an intrusion by the federal government into what should be a state and local matter.

So what does this mean for those still fighting the Common Core Standards on the ground in Wyoming?

It means opposition will continue to be hard to ignore after the elections. It means opposition is having a real effect. The simple fact that all three Republican candidates for the state's top education job wanted voters to know they will stand against federal involvement and will work to remove the Common Core (with varying amounts of promised effort) clearly demonstrates the voices of informed voters and parents all over the state have been heard.

Educating candidates and elected officials on the important points around the federal takeover of education is not the work for those seeking instant gratification. It takes time and patience. It takes diligence and humility. It takes passion and commitment. And it takes strategy and wisdom.

The views against federal involvement in education spoken in Riverton by the three Republican candidates are, in part, the result of just such work. This is not good news for those hoping to continue controlling education through private, exclusive closed door meetings in offices on the first and second floors of the Wyoming capitol, but great news for hard-working, passionate, diligent, wise, patient and strategic thinking parents all over Wyoming. Their work will make a difference. This final debate showed that in abundance.