Speaker of the House: We will continue to look at Common Core Standards

Part of the latest newsletter from Speaker of the House Tim Jones, R-Eureka, is about the recent hearings held by the House Interim Committee on Education, including one held at Missouri Southern State University.

Another House Interim Committee has been crisscrossing the state to request input from Missouri citizens on the most pressing issues currently facing the state’s system of education. The first leg of the tour took place in September and included stops in St. Louis, Cape Girardeau, Poplar Bluff, Branson and Joplin with impressive turnouts at each location. The second leg of the tour began this week and has included stops in Kansas City, Chillicothe, Hannibal, Maryville, Warrensburg and Columbia.

Citizens who attended had questions on issues ranging from the federal Common Core Standards to the school transfer issue that has been the biggest topic of conversation in the St. Louis region in recent months. The Common Core standards have been a topic of conversation in all areas of Missouri as the state education department begins the implementation of the federal standards that are meant to create uniformity in the curriculum. The idea is to put states on the same page with the way they are educating young people in the hope it will better help prepare them for future success. However, the standards have drawn heavy criticism from some groups who believe they violate federal laws that prohibit a national program for education. Other critics of Common Core have taken issue with the fact that the standards actually lower the bar for students in key areas such as math and English. In addition, many have expressed concerns that the program will collect data on young people and share that information with the federal government and outside contractors.

During the 2013 session, the legislature considered a bill to prevent the implementation of Common Core here in Missouri. While that bill did not become law, the discussion on this important topic continues, and my colleagues and I continue to do all we can to gather all the facts on this important change to the way our system of education will operate.

I am eager to hear what the members of committees have to say after they wrap up their series of hearings. Education reform has been, and continues to be, a top priority for me and something I am very passionate about as I work with my colleagues to improve educational outcomes for our young people. As we saw this week when the Kansas City public schools were again denied state accreditation, we have some serious issues with public schools here in Missouri that must be addressed. Our focus in everything we do must be on putting the needs of students at the forefront.

 That sounds like an easy thing to do, but for too long we have seen an education establishment that has made the goal of putting students first far more difficult than it should be. My hope is that our interim education committee will develop policy solutions that will put the emphasis of our education system where it belongs - on preparing our young people for future success.