An assortment of left-wing activists and critics of the privatization of education warned President Obama Wednesday that they oppose his nominee to be the next secretary of education, John King.
King, a supporter of Common Core among other initiatives, is also being opposed by hardline Senate conservatives.
“Research and evidence demonstrate that the education policies that John King has supported throughout his career, such as the Common Core standards, the collection of private student information, and high-stakes standardized testing, have been ineffective and destructive,” activist Noam Chomsky and others wrote in a signed letter to the U.S. Senate.
Chomsky, the retired MIT professor, was joined by Jill Stein, 2012 Green Party candidate for president, Noami Klein, author of the anti-capitalist bestseller The Shock Doctrine, journalist Doug Henwood, academic Corey Robin, and others.
“The American public deserves a secretary of education who will advocate for their interests, not those of the testing corporations who profit from the Common Core. We also deserve a secretary who respects the importance of schools governed by communities, not by federal mandate,” it said.
“Senators should not be misled by vague promises to do better as King offered at a recent hearing. John King is the wrong candidate and he will follow the failed strategies of [Arne Duncan, previous Secretary of Education]. We strongly urge you to reject [King’s] nomination,” the letter said.
King was approved by the U.S. Senate Committee on Education 16-6 Wednesday. King’s nomination will now be considered by the full Senate.
