New education standards approved by Nat. Governors Association

Governor’s group releases common standards designed to be implemented in states across the country to improve education and standardize curriculum.

The Common Core state academic standards released today by the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers are designed to prepare students for college and the working world.  The standards are also designed to standardize content that students are learning from state to state.

Delaware Governor Jack Markell says even though his state recently won $100 million in federal funding through the Race to the Top program, Delaware along with the other states still has a long way to go to reach the top.  

“When something works in one state, like Georgia or Delaware, we should share it with the nation, and that’s what this is all about.”  Markell says the standards have been developed on the local level, not from Washington.  “We’ve been able to talk with folks all over the country about what’s working best and how we can be sure that our efforts are aligned to really deliver on what’s most important: a better future for our kids and greater hope for their parents.”

Former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise now serves as president of the Alliance for Excellent Education.  He calls the establishing of standards a historic moment.  “It is the states working together that have taken the best of what each has in its educational standards, in English, arts, and mathematics, and raised it to the highest level.”

The standards were unveiled during a special event at Peachtree Ridge High School in Suwanee, Georgia.  You can find the standards in detail online at corestandards.org.