Come. On. 'Think tank' pres compares parents who opt-out of Common Core tests to anti-vaxxers

Greg P. | 2:31 PM on February 26, 2015

The Education Writers Association is hosting a big Common Core seminar at the University of Colorado’s Denver campus today and these comments comparing parents who opt-out of standardized tests to the anti-vaxx movement caught our eye:

Petrilli compares test opt-outs to anti-vaccinators. It may or may not hurt your own child, but it's not great for the common good. #EWACore

— Natalie Gross (@ByNatalieGross) February 26, 2015

When child isn't vaccinated, there's some risk for them, but what you do is create risk for most vulnerable in community. -Petrilli #EWACore

— Natalie Gross (@ByNatalieGross) February 26, 2015

Petrilli: encouraging parents to opt-out of tests is an attempt to sweep school accountability under the rug. @mcricker disagrees. #EWACore

— Natalie Gross (@ByNatalieGross) February 26, 2015

Oh, Puh-leeze! They’re not the same. AT. ALL.

“Petrilli” in these tweets is Michael Petrilli, President of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute education policy think tank and a vocal proponent of Common Core standards.

Here’s another gem from Petrilli:

.@MichaelPetrilli: On the right, the opposition to #CommonCore came down to 2 words — "Barack Obama." #EWACore

— Natalie Gross (@ByNatalieGross) February 26, 2015

That’s not true. There’s been opposition to Common Core ever since it was signed into law by George W. Bush as part of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Michelle Malkin has a good round-up of conservative opposition in 2005, for example, here and here.

Petrilli went on to challenge Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers and an opponent of these standardized tests, to call them a “civic duty.”