Ohio Gov. John Kasich is one of the few Republican presidential candidates who defends the controversial Common Core educational standards. Despite his steadfast support, Kasich struggles to actually call Common Core by name in public appearances.
At the New Hampshire Education Forum on Wednesday, Kasich was asked three questions about Common Core. First, Kasich was asked by education activist and former CNN host Campbell Brown if he still supports Common Core.
“Let me tell you the way I see what that label is,” Kasich said in response. He went on to talk about how Common Core was developed, the importance of local school boards developing curricula, and how as president he would give control back to states and communities — all without mentioning Common Core by name. “I don’t know about that term and all that stuff, I’m just telling you what we’re doing in Ohio.”
Brown went on to ask why so many of the other Republican candidates had changed their position on Common Core.
Kasich said he’s open-minded but wouldn’t change his position on an issue just because public support changes.
Speaking with reporters after the interview with Brown, Kasich was asked why he thinks Common Core has become a “poisonous term.” Kasich again answered without using the term “Common Core,” seemingly confirming its poisonous status.
“I don’t hear much about [Common Core] anymore, and now that I’ve said that I’ll probably hear about it all the time,” Kasich said. “Did I back away from it? Did I say what I thought? Huh? And so, I’m a local control guy, and this headline business is — you know we all like headlines. I mean, I heard one today, I don’t know if it’s true, that Charles Barkley is supporting me for president. Now that’s a headline.”
Combined, Kasich spent more than five minutes at the forum speaking about Common Core without ever calling it by name.
It’s tough to blame Kasich for not mentioning Common Core by name. Polling shows Republicans hate the term “Common Core” but have mixed feelings toward what it stands for.
The 2015 Education Next Poll questioned three groups of respondents about Common Core. The first group was asked if respondents supported Common Core or not. Half of Republicans were opposed, with 30 percent in favor.
A question for the second group added an explanation about Common Core, saying, “In the states that have these standards, they will be used to hold public schools accountable for their performance.” Half of Republicans still opposed Common Core, but support rose to 37 percent.
The last group was asked the same question as the second group, but it referred to “standards” instead of “Common Core.” Republican support jumped to 50 percent and opposition fell to 38 percent.
Although the description of Common Core was fairly favorable, the poll showed how Republicans’ opinions of the standards change when the standards are labeled “Common Core.”
