TN House to delay Common Core and PARCC for 2 years

I'd be lying if the news about the Tennessee House of Representatives passing a bill which would delay the implementation of Common Core and PARCC for two years didn't command my attention last night. However, I wasn't surprised. I had been predicting this would happen before the 2014 Tennessee legislative session even began. I was surprised that the House chose to do this as an amendment to another bill, rather than as a stand alone bill. But considering I just finished watching several new episodes of House of Cards, nothing should surprise me in the world of politics.

So what does delaying Common Core and PARCC for two years mean for educators making huge strides to implement and prepare for both? It doesn't mean anything. Many of the modifications to prepare for Common Core and PARCC were necessary to accommodate 21st century learning anyway. The preparations for Common Core and PARCC were and are great first steps in changing the way we educate children. So many of our methods and techniques were desperately out of touch with today's students, that the training and time spent preparing for Common Core and PARCC was not time wasted. The new attention to learning versus teaching is a paradigm shift that truly engages best practices for 21st century students, regardless of the standards being taught.

Will the Governor veto the bill? What does he have to lose politically by vetoing? Will the House have time to overturn the veto with a simple majority? It doesn't matter. It's only political theater. Educators have bigger fish to fry. Those districts and educators focussed on learning will be successful in educating students, with or without the decision-making of politicians.