November 20, 2015 5:36 PM

Feds ditch education programs Texas drop-kicked 5 years ago

Race to the Top and Common Core are firmly out of the latest compromise version of federal education legislation

Some Texas Republicans can be assured federal lawmakers on a conference committee to overhaul No Child Left Behind Act are just as fed up with waivers and Common Core as they are.

For a number of years, Texas stood in the minority of states that rejected the Obama administration’s Race to the Top grant program, which encouraged states to adopt state-led standards in math and English, known as Common Core. That choice led to the possible loss of up to $700 million in a federal grant.

Five years later, the pendulum appears to be swinging in the Texas direction. Federal lawmakers gathered around a table this week to discuss the base document for a compromise on the latest version of Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Both Race to the Top and Common Core are firmly out.

By Kimberly Reeves