“Governor Cuomo’s newly-constructed Common Core task force is being blindly led by many of the same individuals who fully supported the standards in the beginning and continued to force them on our schools despite the cries from parents, teachers and students. The governor has only recently changed his tune on Common Core amidst plummeting poll numbers and record opt-out rates and has bucked the democratic process by once again ignoring members of the Legislature who have repeatedly called for a re-evaluation of Common Core’s implementation.

“The governor’s 2014 education panel failed to provide a report on the success of the Common Core Standards so what makes anyone think this one will do any better? Commissions under the governor have been abysmal failures, and this one is likely to follow the same pattern. What we need is a truly independent panel of front-line educators and parents as well as an expanded representation of legislators in order to provide an unbiased assessment and evaluation of Common Core and its implementation.”