This year, Texas had the chance to snatch up $14.5 billion in federal education dollars. Many in the public education lobby pushed hard for Gov. Rick Perry to accept that money, but he said told the feds, "Thanks, but no thanks."

We are glad that was the governor's response. The reason: If the state of Texas had taken that money, they would have had to agree to abide by what's called the "Common Core State Standards" (CCSS).

The CCSS has been adopted by 45 states and Washington, D.C., and it sets federally-mandated standards for academic achievement at every grade level for school districts across the U.S.

National Review called the CCSS "standardized mediocrity," and we agree. Reporter Jennifer Marshall writes:

"Proponents claim that national standards would improve the American education system. They are wrong. Here's why:

Misconception #1: National standards would make American students more competitive with their international peers. The relationship between standards and academic achievement is unclear. While it's true that many of the countries that outperform the U.S. on international tests have national standards, so do most of the countries that score lower than the U.S. Even when it comes to state standards, the relationship between academic performance and the quality of those standards is not consistent.

Misconception #2: National standards are necessary so parents can understand how their children compare with other children across the country. The information parents need is already available. State tests let parents know how well their children have mastered the curriculum. The National Assessment of Educational Progress and other standardized tests compare students' performance nationally, exposing any "dumbing down" of state tests. Policies should require clear reporting of this data to parents, which in too many states is not standard practice.

Misconception #3: National standards are necessary because of the variance in the quality of state standards. Some states do have higher standards than others. But the same pressures that drive down state standards would likely plague national standards -- and if national standards were defined down, they would undercut states with higher standards, such as Massachusetts. This would let the goal of uniformity trump the pursuit of excellence."

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The federal government should have no role in education - it should be left to the states, and ultimately, the parents should be able to direct their children's education.