Tennessee Board Of Regents Chief Takes National Role Backing Common Core

John Morgan is the chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents and a supporter of Common Core which has been adopted in 45 states, including Tennessee. Credit: TN Photo Services

The chancellor of Tennessee’s Board of Regents is becoming more vocal about supporting Common Core – the K-12 education standards with a growing number of critics on both ends of the political spectrum.

John Morgan co-authored an editorial in the Huffington Post and is helping lead a national group of higher education chiefs.

He’s said it before, but primarily just to state lawmakers and education officials. Chancellor Morgan backs Common Core as a way to cut down on how many remedial courses state schools have to offer when students get to college unprepared.

Morgan says Common Core could “reduce the alarming trend” of rising college dropout rates.

He co-authored the editorial with the head of New York’s state universities. The two are leading a coalition of 200 university officials from around the country. The group called the Collaborative for Student Success is intended to shore up support for Common Core, which has come under attack from the left and the right.

In recent days, governors in Oklahoma and South Carolina have signed laws aimed at withdrawing from Common Core. Tennessee’s Republican governor has remained an ardent defender of the standards, though he did sign a law that delays the associated standardized test.

Morgan will speak to reporters around the country on a conference call Tuesday morning alongside Nancy Zimpher, chancellor of the State University of New York.