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Hidden Camera Footage Offensive to Supporters of Common Core
Washington, DC – Blair Mann, Director of Media Relations for The Collaborative for Student Success released the following statement on January 12th, 2016 after a conservative activist released secretly recorded video of individuals in the sales and education professions denigrating children and Common Core State Standards:
“Like many other organizations committed to raising education standards, we are appalled by the crude and cynical comments purportedly made by an educator and a salesperson for a major textbook publisher. The comments are particularly offensive because they involve the education of kids.
“While there are bad actors in every profession, it would be wrong and irresponsible to suggest that a few isolated incidents are representative of the tens of thousands of dedicated teachers and educators who support high academic standards and devote themselves daily to ensuring kids are prepared for success after high school.
“Still this incident, however isolated it may be, underscores the importance of states and local school districts exercising fully their local control over decisions involving books and curriculum. Common Core Standards are state-initiated, state-created, state-adopted and completely voluntary K-12 standards in math and English that are comparable across state lines. And while these education goals allow parents to compare student progress, they do not put any entity – including textbook publishers or the federal government – in charge of local decision making.”
Blair Mann
Director of Media Relations
Collaborative for Student Success
media@forstudentsuccess.org
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.
To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.