Facts Are Stubborn Things

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”                                                                                                        –John Adams, Argument in Defense of the British Soldiers in the Boston Massacre Trials, Dec. 4, 1770

Opponents of the Common Core State Standards have shown a propensity to repeat misinformation as if it was true.  This intentional deception continues despite repeated corrections and citations of the facts by multiple participants in the actual meetings and activities being mischaracterized.   Many articles have been written that address common myths, including this one in the Huffington Post by Joy Removits and a very good one by Bill Gates (who gets criticized for the good deeds of his generous philanthropy) in USA Today.

Now, our friend Michael Petrilli at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has posted Lies, Damned Lies, and the Common Core on his Flypaper blog that anyone who wants to see how misinformation can spiral out of control has to read!  Spoiler alert:  Opponents blame Common Core for odd statements and questions that PRE-DATED the standards!  Mike’s post even includes a clip from Fox News, reporting erroneous information from a publication called EAG News put out by the Education Action Group Foundation based in Michigan.

What would John Adams say?!