When the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) decided to lambaste the Common Core this week, the fact their strings were being pulled went completely unnoticed.

The questions are, who is pulling the strings and why?
The answer to the first question is simple, and the evidence is clear.

The National Education Association (NEA) is banging the drum, and the CEA is dancing to the beat.

A week before the CEA dusted off the pulpit to erode confidence in the Common Core, the NEA held a press conference claiming that Common Core implementation was “botched.” [Politico, 2/19/2014]
Fast forward a week or so, and the CEA — the NEA’s local affiliate — was using the exact same words. Not just spreading the same false message but doing it with precisely the same terminology. [CEA, 2/26/2014]

CEA leadership was careful to get the word “Connecticut” in as much as possible, but the local angle was little more than a sham.

Two points for coordinating so well, guys, but any pretense that you are “listening to your members” crumbles once you realize how lock-step the local union is with its national leadership.

Strangely enough, the NEA was all in favor of the Common Core just one year ago, offering resources, knowledge and the fact that “three out of four teachers support Common Core Standards.” [NEA, 9/12/2013]

So we come to question number two: Why the change of heart?

Put simply, it’s an election year, and this is an election year tactic. The NEA’s motivations are unknown, but a little shove to the left only rallies and solidifies the base. It’s the same tactic Republicans use when they try to push moderate GOP lawmakers to the far-right.

The difference is this: In the NEA’s case, they’re playing with our students’ futures.

Classy.

To comment on this and other stories, please check out the Education Bridgeport! Facebook