A Leopard Changing His Spots

There's no denying that Chris Christie is changing position on Common Core, what remains to be seen is whether this move is sincere or not--has he truly seen the light, or is he just saying what he thinks potential voters want to hear?

Gov. Chris Christie is backing away from the use of Common Core school standards, saying the system isn't working for students in New Jersey.

In a speech Thursday, the likely Republican presidential contender will make the case that the standards have brought confusion and frustration to parents and classrooms.

The Common Core standards spell out what academic skills students should master at each grade level. They have been adopted by most states and the federal government, through a grant program, encourages states to use them. But they are unpopular among many parents, teachers, and GOP voters nationwide.

"It's now been five years since Common Core was adopted. And the truth is that it's simply not working," Christie says in excerpts released by his office ahead of the speech at Burlington County College. "Instead of solving problems in our classrooms, it is creating new ones. And when we aren't getting the job done for our children, we need to do something different"...

Christie has been gradually backing away from the support he expressed for the standards less than two years ago, when he declared that "this is one of those areas where I've agreed more with the president than not."