Pittsburgh Bishop: No to Common Core

The Most Reverend David A. Zubik, Bishop of Pittsburgh, has a written a column for the Pittsburgh Catholic explaining why the city’s diocesan schools will not be implementing the Common Core State Standards. According to Bishop Zubik,

A number of parents have raised questions about Common Core-related resource materials that conflict with Catholic teaching and have expressed concern about Common Core requirements to collect and report student data in a way that might violate the privacy of students. Be assured that our Catholic identity is the core of our curriculum. Our Catholic faith guides the selection of all curricula, goals, textbooks and other resources. Furthermore, schools in the Diocese of Pittsburgh do not share data on individual students with any state or federal databases.

Some of the same parents also raised questions about our membership in the National Catholic Educational Association, which is assisting Catholic schools in a number of other dioceses to adapt the Common Core standards for Catholic education. That project has no bearing on education in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. It is important to understand that the NCEA is not a governing body for Catholic schools. By church law as your bishop, I am the highest authority on Catholic education in the diocese.

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