Dive Brief:
- Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant spoke Tuesday about who controls the state's decision to discontinue use of the Common Core, reminding the public that they in fact have the ultimate say.
- Bryant, who has been outspoken in his disdain for the Common Core, reiterated the fact that Superintendent of Education Carey Wright, who supports the standards, must pay heed to the voice of the people.
- This past June, when Bryant called the standards "a failed program," Wright and the chairman of the state's board of education struck back, saying they're necessary for improving the state's lagging achievement rate.
Dive Insight:
Battles over the Common Core are nothing new. In fact, the back and forth in Mississippi sounds eerily similar to the discord in Louisiana over the standards. There, Gov. Bobby Jindal, who initially backed the Common Core, has unsuccessfully pushed for the state to opt out. Unfortunately for Jindal, state Superintendent John White is not having it. In both scenarios, the governors are in direct conflict with their state's legislative and education leaders.