Teachers and school district superintendents lined up before the Kansas Board of Education Tuesday to support Common Core reading and math education standards. They argued the standards will help students transfer more easily between schools and create students who are better at critical thinking and problem solving.
Sarah Berblinger is a teacher in the Buhler School District. She said the standards also help build a strong foundation for education.
“We believe that this is going to really allow our students to be more globally competitive because of the very rich foundational skills that the Common Core will present,” said Berblinger.
Opponents told the board that the Common Core standards are centralized control over education in Kansas schools. Some opponents said the process needs to be slowed and studied more.
Republican Kasha Kelley chairs the House Education Committee in the Kansas Legislature.
“I know we’re excited to move forward and get out from under teaching to the test," said Kelley "I think there’s still a question as to whether Common Core really does that, but I believe these are issues that none of us can really answer so a pause makes sense."
The Board of Education voted to adopt the Common Core standards in 2010.
