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Parents and Educators Agree: Common Core Benefits Far Outweigh False Allegations

Parenting blog Romper raises concerns about higher academic standards, noting that “many parents and teachers take issue with” the educational tools that the standards provide.

The post links to a 2015 teacher survey that notes that “only 40 percent of teachers agree with Common Core and approve of its implementation.” However, those arguments run counter to more recent polling that shows most parents and teachers strongly support rigorous academic expectations that prepare students for college and careers.

All of the claims made in the post have been proven false. That “recent” survey? It’s more than a year old and a number of reputable surveys contradict its findings. Most recently, Education Next found that “a full two-thirds of respondents favor college and career ready standards that are consistent from state to state and school district to school district, and when no label was attached, support for high standards increased compared to previous years.”

And teachers themselves agree. 21 State Teachers of the Year wrote in Education Week, “The Common Core is not a federal takeover of our schools, nor does it force teachers into a rigid model for classroom instruction… In fact, under the Common Core, teachers have greater flexibility to design their classroom lessons—and can, for the first time, take advantage of the best practices from great teachers in other states.”

Romper also buys into some of the oldest and most fraudulent allegations about higher standards. Standards are not a curriculum, but instead a set of academic benchmarks for what students should know and be able to do by the end of each grade level.

The standards are not “anchored by political, bureaucratic interests” but instead were developed by educators and educational researchers with public input and voluntarily adopted by more than 40 states.

Higher academic standards are showing their promise by helping improve educational outcomes for students. Parents and educators agree: that’s a positive benefit that far outweighs any misinformation.

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. 

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