Education Reformers, Teachers, Chamber, and Business Leaders Underscore Need for Higher Education Standards
WASHINGTON, D.C.-The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Center for Education and Workforce released a video today that makes the case for higher standards in education and presents the facts about how Common Core standards were written, adopted, and are being implemented. In collaboration with organizations from all over the country, the video features education reformers, teachers, state and local chamber leaders, and business representatives, showing unified support for Common Core across generations, political lines, and states.
“Common Core is the best chance that we have to improve mathematics in this country that has come along in my lifetime,” said William McCallum, PhD, lead writer of the Common Core State Standards in mathematics and distinguished professor of mathematics at the University of Arizona.
“A lot of the skeptics were in the same place I was when I first looked at the standards,” said Sarah Brown Wessling, 2010 National Teacher of the Year. “Ultimately, what I learned was that nobody was going to come in my classroom and tell me how to teach.”
“This isn’t about politics,” said Ryan Mahoney, vice president of public policy at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce. “This is about the skills that our children need to know to be successful and to be ready for the jobs of tomorrow.”
Forty-four states, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense schools have adopted and are implementing the Common Core State Standards. These internationally benchmarked standards establish a set of clear and consistent guidelines for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math and English language arts so that they will graduate high school able to succeed in college and the workforce. The implementation of Common Core and the creation of high-quality assessments provide an unprecedented opportunity to prepare all students across the country.
The video is available on the Foundation’s Common Core website, BusinessForCore.org.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce dedicated to strengthening America’s long-term competitiveness by addressing developments that affect our nation, our economy, and the global business environment.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is the world’s largest business federation representing the interests of more than 3 million businesses of all sizes, sectors, and regions, as well as state and local chambers and industry associations.