A good deal of supporters of Common Core State Standards tout the national standards as the way of the future. By investing in the national education standards, they say students across the country will be better prepared to graduate high school, succeed in college and ultimately be competitive in a fast-paced world.
In an ad supporting the standards, education advocacy group Stand for Children goes further, saying the standards are the key to building dreams.
The two-minute long advertisement is directed at parents and paints a bleak picture of the current education system. The video points to a 22 percent high school dropout rate and statistics that a third of students arent prepared for college after they leave high school.
Because these students arent prepared, nearly half of them -- 46 percent -- dont even get a degree. According to the ad, the countrys current standards are outdated and inconsistent and its time for a wake-up call.
Thats where Common Core comes in. The ad goes on to say Common Core will give students the 21st-century education so they can succeed in school and compete in a fast-paced, technology driven world.
New standards: because your child deserves better, closes the ad. And you deserve the peace of mind in knowing they are prepared.
So keep on dreaming. Who knows how far they will go?
The ad has already gathered some harsh criticism, and the comments section of the YouTube page is a battlefield, with both supporters and opponents of the standards in full force.
It is insane that in this country, some with a high school diploma can outperform the average college students on diagnostic tests, while some barely read, wrote Melanie Habwe Dickson. Common Core sounds like common sense, and it's something our education system badly needs!
Some chimed in with Dicksons response.
Very important work being done here, wrote Christopher Dillis. It's about time for something like this!
But others seemed hesitant over the national standards, which are set to be fully implemented in Floridas schools by the 2014-2015 school year.
It will probably benefit most children more than what they are currently receiving -- but the reality is likely to prove far less than what is being promised, and the Common Core's mathematics standards are absolutely not world-class and will not leave our children genuinely internationally competitive, wrote Bruce Smith.
Now THAT is some serious propaganda! They must be desperate to sell the crap, wrote another commenter.
The video is reflective of the ongoing controversy surrounding the national education standards. The Florida Department of Education held three public hearings in October on the standards per the request of Gov. Rick Scott, which brought teachers, parents and members of the public together to hash out the problems with the standards.
The governor has also expressed concerns about the possibility of a federal overreach through testing commonly associated with the Common Core State Standards.
Its uncertain whether the standards will be tweaked as a result of the public hearings, but Senate President Don Gaetz did say earlier this week that changes were possible.
Gaetz did, however, part ways with Scott and dismissed claims that the standards are an example of federal overreach in the education system.
"You can't dip them in milk and hold them over a candle and see the United Nations flag or Barack Obama's face, he told conservative groups. They're not some federal conspiracy."
Reach Tampa-based reporter Allison Nielsen atallison@sunshinestatenews.comor follow her on Twitter at@AllisonNielsen.
