Why Does America Need the Common Core?
Because of the lack of educational benchmarks and standardization in the United States of America, the country is disjointed and subpar leaving students ill prepared to enter the workforce and college. This is evidenced by the persistent problem of students graduating and passing required exit exams in high school yet they still needed remediation upon entry to college. The Common Core is good because it provides a set of age appropriate learning goals and sets a national high-quality academic standard for Math and English to prepare students for college and the workforce. In essence, the Common Core defines what a student should know and be able to do at different grade levels.
The Common Core is beneficial to all students, especially for those students interested in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math education or ‘STEM’ fields. They both teach problem solving skills and focus on learning to use Common Core modules for optimum results. In addition, students learn to think outside the box, they learn how to create a good argument, defend the argument, and look for patterns. Learning these skills will increase their problem solving and reasoning abilities, which prepares them for STEM jobs. Desiree Hall, writes, “The new work is challenging, based on rigorous new Common Core State Standards…they have to explain how they got it. That’s a real brain workout”(Hall). Moreover, the implementation of the Common Core makes it harder for students to forget about STEM courses because students were submerged in math, science, and English. Finally, the Common Core affects the reading and English tests by using more STEM vocabulary, which also supports student readiness.
Another added benefit can be seen at the socioeconomic level for society. Successful transition and support of the Common Core will decrease the number of