Archived Content

Broad Support for Common Core

Nov 15, 2013

Leaders from many avenues of life are speaking up for the Common Core State Standards. A round-up:

U.S. Air Force Brigadier General James Hart (Ret.) at Tallahassee.com, "Standards prepare Florida for future":

Readiness is also the key to making our education system the best in the world. Preparing all students to succeed is one of the primary responsibilities of our education system — and it is one of the major reasons that I am a big supporter of what is called the Florida State Standards for K-12 students.

These guidelines for what students should learn in mathematics and English language arts help schools, teachers and parents ensure that, when Florida’s next generation graduates from high school, its members are ready for military service, college or other demanding technical careers. In today’s highly competitive world, this kind of readiness makes all the difference.

Marshall M. Criser III, chair of the Florida Council of 100, a leading business group, and a finalist for chancellor of the Florida university system, writing in The Miami Herald, "Florida’s education standards fill vital need":

Early in October, I was in Davie to attend one of the public hearings on education standards for Florida’s K-12 students. It was an energized room, and I was honored to speak as a citizen, parent and business leader in favor of staying the course on the Florida Standards. As a strong supporter of education in the Sunshine State, I believe that these standards are a powerful tool to make sure our young people are ready for the world and workplace that await them.

Education is critical to spurring the state’s economic prosperity. Florida’s business community knows this perhaps better than most. Without a skilled workforce, AT&T and employers across the state cannot compete nationally or internationally. That’s bad for business, bad for Florida and bad for Floridians.

Amanda Ensor, an award-winning fourth-grade teacher at Church Hill Elementary School in Queen Anne's County, in The Baltimore Sun, "Common Core standards connect learning to life":

With the introduction of the Common Core framework, my fourth graders are spending their days deeply engaged in meaningful and rigorous learning. They are comparing and contrasting the treatment of themes and patterns of events in stories, Greek mythology and traditional literature from different cultures. They are talking about events and ideas in historical, scientific and technical texts, discussing what happened and why. They are conducting historical investigations through the examination of primary sources. They have spent time analyzing the work of our founding fathers in 1787, in order to understand the significance of the Constitution. They embrace democracy and are able to explain why the United States has maintained a strong central government. They are examining author's craft. They question why an author has chosen a particular style of language and how his words affect the reader. They are writing opinion pieces, supporting a point of view with reliable and valid information.

Noted education experts Chester E. Finn Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli of The Fordham Institute, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Common Core is a conservative win for Missouri":

Missouri was ranked 41st in the nation overall by Education Week’s 2013 Quality Center Report, receiving a D on K-12 achievement. To overcome these low scores, Missouri joined 45 other states in adopting the Common Core state standards aimed to raise student achievement and provide improved college and career readiness. Unfortunately, this admirable effort has come under attack from the right. As conservatives, we believe this is a grave mistake.

Missourians should understand that the Common Core was developed by state leaders from the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association, and with continued support, these standards will benefit both the students and the state of Missouri.

Business Roundtable Vice President Dane Linn, who at the National Governors Association helped develop the standards, was recently a guest on NPR’s Los Angeles affiliate discussing Common Core and BRT’s Taking Action on Education & Workforce Report. From KPCC, "Money for new curriculum is out, education firms ready sales pitch":

"We are not calling for anything national in scope," Linn said. "We are calling attention to the importance of having some external validation that what’s been developed is actually going to help teachers and students.”

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