Parents and the Common Core: A Conversation with National PTA President Otha Thornton | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights

Parents and the Common Core: A Conversation with National PTA President Otha Thornton | LFA: Join The Conversation - Public School Insights:

Parents and the Common Core: A Conversation with National PTA President Otha Thornton

By Anne O'Brien on February 24, 2014

Evidence clearly shows that family engagement in education promotes student success. And the vast majority of parents (and other family members and guardians) understands that fact and takes educational responsibilities very seriously. So when they are faced with reforms that require changes to their children’s school experiences, families rightly raise questions and concerns about how those reforms will impact the learning and life of students.

Recently, one education reform in particular has come under significant scrutiny from a number of different education stakeholders, including families: the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) initiative. Parents have expressed concern about how the standards will impact student testing, classroom rigor, student privacy, what children will read and more. But even in the face of such concerns, one group that has never wavered in its support of the Common Core is the National PTA.

National PTA President Otha Thornton recently took the time to tell us why the organization continues to support the standards and what parents should know about them. He also dispelled some of the myths surrounding the Common Core and shared resources to help parents learn more and support successful implementation of the CCSS in their communities.

Public School Insights (PSI): Why does the National PTA support the Common Core?

Otha Thornton: Since 2009, National PTA has firmly supported the development and implementation of the Common Core State Standards, maintaining that every child deserves a high quality education that prepares him or her for success upon graduation from high school. National