Common Core Is Crony Capitalism for Computer Companies

In a recent interview with

The Washington Post, Bill Gates insisted that his support
for the Common Core education standards was purely philosophical—he
was offended by the notion that anyone would suspect him of pushing
a policy that helps his own bottom line. He has no reason to peddle
Common Core, he said, except that he cares deeply about the state
of education in the U.S. and sincerely thinks expensive new
curriculum standards and rigorous standardized testing will improve
U.S. schools:

“I hope I can make this clear, I believe in the Common Core
because of its substance and what it will do to improve education,
and that’s the only reason I believe in the
Common Core. And I have no, you know, this is giving money away.
This is philanthropy. This is trying to make sure students have the
kind of opportunity I had. You, you’ve, there is
nothing, uh, it’s so, almost… outrageous to say
otherwise in my view.”

To that end, the billionaire philanthropist has spent
hundreds of millions of dollars promoting Common Core through the
advocacy efforts of the Bill and Melinda Gates
Foundation.

But wait a minute—doesn’t Gates work for a pretty big computer
company, or something? Oh, and doesn’t the testing component of
Common Core require schools to upgrade their computer software? Who
wants to bet that Core-aligned standardized testing requires
Windows 8?

It does! As The Post‘s Valerie Strauss points out, a
Windows web page actually recommends that schools hurry up and buy
the latest Windows software in order to enjoy a smoother transition
to tech-heavy standardized testing
required by Common Core:

This is not to say that that is what sparked or drove Gates’
personal interest in the initiative; he has said he supports the
standards because he thinks they will improve public education, and
it seems fair to believe him when he says that is his motivation
(whether or not the premise is actually true).

Still the fact remains that Microsoft is hoping to make some
money from the implementation of the Core in classrooms.

As Strauss writes, this fact does not make Gates a liar. It
seems likely he does indeed think that imposing a set of uniform
standards on the states will improve students’ educational
outcomes. But it should underscore that massive, expensive public
policy changes—even well-intentioned ones—carry ramifications for
rent-seekers. (Indeed, many states only agreed to the standards
because the Obama administration promised them federal grant money
in exchange.)

I have already noted that
Common Core looks like corporate welfare for textbook giants,
since Pearson—the largest textbook company in the world—won a
non-competitive government contract to design tests for half the
states. It may also be crony capitalism for computer
companies.

Whether or not Common Core helps Microsoft’s bottom line
is ultimately irrelevant to whether the policy is sound, of course.
But when
both Tea Party conservatives and teachers unions—as well as
students, teachers, parents,
and Louis CK—are complaining that the school years is being
filled up with
wonky high-stakes tests that are expensive to implement and
impossible to prepare for, it’s worth asking who proposed this
bright idea. And why.

Read more Reason coverage of Common Core
here.

Hat tip: Eric Owens / The Daily Caller