Support for Common Core plummets, especially among teachers

Support for Common Core plummets, especially among teachers

August 20, 2014

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Support for the national Common Core education standards is falling like a rock, dropping 30 percentage points among teachers and about 12 percentage points among the public since last year.

Results from a poll released by Education Next, a scholarly education journal, show public support for Common Core slipped from 65 percent in 2013 to 53 percent this year, while the decrease among teachers was even more dramatic. Educators in support of Common Core fell from 76 percent last year to a mere 46 percent in 2014, the survey shows.

It was the same story with opposition to Common Core, which doubled among the public over the last year, going from 13 percent to 26 percent this year. The percent of teachers who oppose, meanwhile, more than tripled, skyrocketing from 12 percent to 40 percent in 2014, according to the poll.

“Especially intriguing is the flip in the opinion gap between teachers and the public as a whole. In 2013, teachers were more positive in their views of the Common Core than the public (76% compared to 65%), but today teachers are less positive (46% compared to 53%),” the Education Next report notes.

“A year ago, only 12% of the teaching force expressed opposition—virtually the same as the public. Today, teacher opposition is nearly twice as high as opposition among the public (40% compared to just 26%).”

That’s likely because more teachers now understand the many pitfalls and restraints imposed by the national learning standards as states have implemented more aspects of Common Core over the last year.

Educators, of course, are more engaged in education policy and see the detrimental effects first hand, and many are obviously realizing the “rigorous” new standards aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.

https://eagnews.org/support-for-common-core-plummets-especially-among-teachers/