Common Core

Report: Most Americans Support Concepts Behind Common Core

• By Joshua Bolkan
• 04/07/15

Most Americans support the basic concepts behind the Common Core, even if many do not know what the Common Core State Standards are, according to a new survey from the Leadership Conference Education Fund.

In a national survey of nearly 1,400 American adults, 97 percent of respondents said students should be able to think critically and apply skills to the real world and 85 percent said the United States should have consistent education standards to raise expectations of students. But 24 percent of those surveyed said they had never heard of the Common Core and less than half, 44 percent, reported knowing some or a lot about the standards.

Other key findings of the survey include:

• Half of respondents said there is too much testing in school;
• 46 percent told researchers that the federal government should have no role in education;
• 71 percent said expectations are too low in American schools;
• Only 47 percent said schools in the United States provide a well-rounded education for each student; and
• 82 percent of respondents said they support "a wholesale transformation of our education system" to improve the nation's long-term economic security.

"We are very encouraged by this national poll. It reaffirms what we know about the American people: that they want the best possible education for all our children," said Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Education Fund, in a prepared sttement. "We will use this data to drive equitable change and improve educational opportunities for all students."

The full report is available at civilrightsdocs.info.