Common Core Opponents Planning Orlando Protest

Bruce Ackerman / Ocala Star-Banner/Landov

P.G. Schafer, a Tea Party member, holds a sign to protest Common Core across the street from Marion Technical Institute where school administrators were meeting on Southeast Fort King Street in Ocala, Fla. on Wednesday, April 3, 2013.

Opponents of new education standards adopted by Florida and 44 other states are planning an Orlando protest later this month, according to an invitation sent to StateImpact Florida.

And Washington, D.C.-based non-profit FreedomWorks will hold a session to educate and train activists opposed to the standards the same day.

Florida Parents Against The Common Core are organizing the event. The protest will be held June 29 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes.

Known as Common Core, the standards have drawn criticism from those on the political right and left across the country. Critics worry the standards aren’t as good as current standards in some states and will mean a loss of local control over education. They also worry about the cost and emphasis on standardized testing.

The Florida Board of Education, Republican and Democratic legislative leadership and Florida’s largest teacher’s union all support the standards.

So far, Common Core opponents’ biggest victory was to kill a bill which would streamline the sharing of Florida educational data. But lawmakers and school boards say they are hearing growing complaints from the public about the standards.

Some school districts are even launching public relations campaigns to head off criticism of Common Core.

Lake County schools recently added a page to the district web site to debunk myths about the standards. The Foundation for Excellence in Education is also pushing back against critics of standards, such as this “common misconceptions” page.