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George Washington University
Executive Director of the Center on Education Policy at George Washington University
PROFILE
Maria Ferguson
Guest
FROM Maria Ferguson
To the Point
Is Public Education Too Soft on American Students? " Common Core " is the new public school standards initiative requiring analytical skills with tough math problems and in-depth essays. It was devised by a committee appointed by the National Governors Association, and since 2010 it's been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. Full implementation is planned for next year, but in many places it's already under way, with full implementation planned for next year. But an angry backlash has been developing from both Tea Partiers and progressives. Abysmally low scores on rigorous new tests have shocked teachers, parents and their children from New York to Kentucky. Some states want to abandon ship. What's the role of the Obama Administration? What about Bill Gates and other wealthy advocates of education reform?
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To the Point
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Left, Right & Center
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
To the Point
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.