Reformed Purposes

The goals of education reform generally and the Common Core standards in particular are stated in 20 USC section 9871. States seeking "ESEA flexibility" (relief from No Child Left Behind compliance) implicitly accept significant changes in the purposes of public education:

9871. Alignment of secondary school graduation requirements with the demands of 21st century postsecondary endeavors and support for P–16 education data systems.

(a) Purpose

It is the purpose of this section—

• (1) to promote more accountability with respect to preparation for higher education, the 21st century workforce, and the Armed Forces, by aligning—
  • (A) student knowledge, student skills, State academic content standards and assessments, and curricula, in elementary and secondary education, especially with respect to mathematics, science, reading, and, where applicable, engineering and technology; with
  • (B) the demands of higher education, the 21st century workforce, and the Armed Forces;

• (2) to support the establishment or improvement of statewide P–16 education data systems that—
  • (A) assist States in improving the rigor and quality of State academic content standards and assessments;
  • (B) ensure students are prepared to succeed in—
    • (i) academic credit-bearing coursework in higher education without the need for remediation;
    • (ii) the 21st century workforce; or
    • (iii) the Armed Forces; and