There has been much debate about the Common Core State Standards and while politicians are entitled to their own opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts. Much of the information that has been offered opposing these college- and career-ready standards in our state is simply untrue.
The suggestion that these standards cannot be changed or modified by state or local authorities is incorrect and frankly, quite shortsighted. The copyrighters of the Common Core State Standards have expressly written that North Carolina and other adopting states can use these standards in whole or use selected excerpts and portions to raise education standards in their state. There is nothing in the Common Core State Standards that says North Carolina cannot build on them; these are a starting point to preparing our students for the jobs of tomorrow.
This point is especially important when some would have you believe that the Common Core State Standards are not rigorous enough. Test results already show that the new standards are tougher than the previous standards. Additionally, there is nothing that prevents North Carolina from making these standards more rigorous.
Another myth is that these higher standards force teachers to take a one-size-fits-all approach. We have talked with many of the state’s top teachers, including teachers of the year from all over the state, who say this is not the case. In fact, most tell us that they feel more control over their lesson planning under the new standards. For example, in the past there was a specific step-by-step approach to teach long division. It essentially required students to memorize a process. Under the Common Core State Standards, the students learn different ways to get to the answer, and how to explain why their answer is correct. This allows students to actually understand long division, not memorize a process.
Some have insinuated that higher standards do not prepare our students for careers. Politicians do not create jobs, employers do, and the Charlotte Chamber, with 3,300 members employing thousands of workers in the Charlotte region, supports these higher standards. Speaking as a representative of these businesses and, more importantly, as the mother of a fourth grader in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, I can say with good authority that these standards are, in fact, a positive step toward preparing today’s students for the jobs of tomorrow. Ultimately the decision we are making is whether we want to grow our talent locally or hire it from out of state.
Opponents to higher standards also suggest that “the Chamber of Commerce” has significant financial interests in supporting the Common Core. On this point we vehemently agree: Chambers of commerce have a deep financial interest – that our young people can secure gainful employment. N.C. employers know what it takes to make our students career-ready. We must make the investment in our students’ futures.
We are pleased to stand with Gov. Pat McCrory, the N.C. Chamber and many other businesses and chambers across the state on this issue. On Aug. 1, 2013, the governor stood before more than 200 attendees at the North Carolina Conference on Education and voiced his commitment to the Common Core State Standards. We commend him for his unwavering leadership on this important issue and support our state’s teachers who have been implementing these standards for the last two years. Our children’s future is too important to politicize.
