COEUR d'ALENE - Concern over an educational effort known as Common Core has gained momentum lately, and now a petition is circulating opposing it.

Among opponents' concerns: Fear of "nationalization" of Idaho education, involvement of federal dollars, and the sharing of personal student data.

The goal of Common Core is to elevate and align education benchmarks nationwide, providing clear educational standards in English language arts and math for kindergarten-to-12th-grade students.

Duncan Koler, an activist who worked long and hard to rid Coeur d'Alene schools of IB, the International Baccalaureate Organization's education programs, didn't sponsor the petition. But he has signed it.

His primary concern with Common Core is what he sees as a loss of local control of education.

"I think it didn't have a very good public airing before it was adopted," Koler said. "There does seem to be some difference of opinion of what (Common Core) is all about."

Koler said he knows Coeur d'Alene School District board member Tom Hamilton, and, "I do know that they're looking at it."

Because Idaho is so politically conservative, Koler doesn't see an effort to dump Common Core to be a wasted effort.

"I'm not surprised" by the petition, said Hamilton. "We're absolutely hearing from constituents."

Because of the volume of concern the board has heard, the trustees are scheduled to discuss Common Core at a workshop later this month. The board is in "listening mode right now," Hamilton said.

He reviewed Common Core on his own and has concerns about privacy of student data and being "beholden to the federal Department of Education for funding."

His concerns match those of parents and constituents who have reached out to him.

The board's power, however, is really limited in the case of Common Core, Hamilton said.

The Common Core initiative is led by the National Governors Association and top education officials nationwide, with input from educators, parents and education experts.

Common Core was approved by the State Board of Education and the state Legislature. Idaho plans to have the standards in place this fall.

Relative to other school districts, Coeur d'Alene has already done a lot of work to implement it, Hamilton said.

Mary Jo Finney, who is often found at Coeur d'Alene school board meetings, said she's against Common Core and signed the petition. She declined further comment.

Linda Cook, a Rathdrum resident and North Idaho Republican activist, said she signed it after Koler pointed it out.

"I trust his take," Cook said.

She said she just wants students taught well in the basics of math, reading, writing and science and given the freedom to explore other subject areas on their own or with the guidance of their parents.

"I don't want them to be taught to be good little citizens of the world," Cook said.

She said she favors parental and local control of education.

Common Core appears to have a similar motive behind it as IB, she said, "which was proven to be an expensive academic failure."

Others who signed the petition also criticized Common Core for molding children into "global citizens," which sounds a lot like criticisms leveled against IB.

Stephanie Zimmerman, founder of Idahoans for Local Education, is responsible for the petition.

Zimmerman, a 39-year-old Boise-area mother with seven children and another on the way, is working to "preserve Idaho's local educational sovereignty by keeping the decision making close to home, where parents can make a difference."

She put the petition online a couple weeks ago, she said, and it has more than 300 signatures so far.

"I'm pleased with how it's going," Zimmerman said.

Her motivation is her children: "I want them to have the best education they can have."

The petition can be found at: www.ipetitions.com/petition/stop-common-core-idaho-keep-education-local/