Award-winning educator and vehement opponent of Common Core standards, Carol Burris, will retire early and quit her position as principal of South Side High School in Rockville Centre, N.Y. this June to focus on continuing to oppose the Common Core.

Burris, who was named New York's High School Principal of the Year in 2013, has used outlets like The Washington Post to express her growing concerns over how the Common Core will harm educators and students alike. She has said that her decision to retire early and dedicate her time to opposing the standards came when the New York legislature approved education reforms this spring that changed the teacher evaluation process and made student test scores 50 percent of teachers' scores.

"I announced that I will retire early and dedicate all of my energies to fighting the assault on our public schools and our teachers. I will not participate in an evaluation system such as the one designed by the governor or legislature. It is morally and ethically wrong," Carol Burris said, according to The Washington Post. 

This spring, Burris also publicly exchanged letters with another award-winning educator and principal, Jayne Ellspermann. Ellspermann hails from Florida and strictly supports the Common Core. The letters between the two were published on a variety of sites across the internet and represented the significance of the fierce debate on the matter.

"Jayne, at the heart of our disagreement is that you see the Common Core Standards as a path to equity and I see them as a wall. You separate the standards from the tests and their consequences, and I cannot," Burris wrote in one of her letters.

Overall, Burris says " she plans to work with similarly-minded education advocates" as she moves forward, according to The Washington Times.

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Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

05/11/2015