New Poll Shows New Yorkers Divided on Common Core
But they agree on one thing: delay its implementation.
Posted by Lanning Taliaferro (Editor)
New York State Education Commissioner Dr. John King fielded angry questions and comments at a Common Core forum on Long Island in 2013.
New Yorkers disagree about whether the State Education Department's new learning standards are too demanding or whether they properly prepare students for college or career. But they agree about one thing: the state's rollout of Common Core should be pushed back.
A poll released today by Sienna College revealed by a 50-38 percent margin, respondents want implementation of Common Core standards delayed for two years.
Opinions were more mixed on how demanding the standards actually are, with 23 percent saying they're just right, 24 percent saying they're not demanding enough and 36 percent saying they're too demanding.
Also mixed were opinions on how well the standards do their purported job: orienting instruction and learning to prep students for college or work after graduation from high school. While 46 percent of respondents are confident, 45 percent are not.
“As the controversy around the Common Core and its implementation continues to swirl among politicians, education advocates, parents, and teachers, New York voters remain divided on whether or not the new standards are too demanding, and whether or not those standards will better prepare students for college or the workplace after graduation,” said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg. “Even as the debate over the Common Core rages on, New Yorkers’ attitudes about the Common Core have changed very little over the last three months.”
Parents and educators across the state have blasted the State Education Department and Education Commissioner John King over Common Core and the collection of student data. Politicians have also joined the fray.
The state Board of Regents made changes earlier this month, delaying full implementation of all the new standards until 2022.
