Dive Brief:

• In a Monday press briefing where he argued recent state decisions to opt out of the Common Core State Standards were more about politics than education, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan singled out Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, chairwoman of the National Governors Association. 
• The NGA helped develop the standards, and Duncan cited pervious times when Fallin praised the Common Core, highlighting her change in direction when she signed a bill earlier this month abandoning the standards.
• When Indiana opted out of the Common Core in March, Duncan reportedly told The Blaze, “They absolutely have the right to do this." This somewhat lax and open stance does not match his response to Fallin's decision.  

Dive Insight:

While Duncan is saying Fallin's decision to opt out is based on politics, Fallin is arguing the same thing. In the speech she gave when signing off on a repeal of the standards, Fallin said, “Unfortunately, federal overreach has tainted Common Core. President Obama and Washington bureaucrats have usurped Common Core in an attempt to influence state education standards. The results are predictable. What should have been a bipartisan policy is now widely regarded as the president’s plan to establish federal control of curricula, testing and teaching strategies.”

It isn't surprising that Duncan is taken aback by Fallin's 180. At this week's press briefing, he quoted Fallin as saying, "Common Core is not a federal program. It is driven and implemented by those states that choose to participate. It's also not a federal curriculum. In fact, it’s not a curriculum at all  Local educators and school districts will still design and choose the best lesson plans and choose appropriate text books and drive learning.”