Common Core Standards – Teacher vs. Public Awareness

According to a report by the DC-based Achieve, although 46 states and Washington, D.C. have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), less than a quarter of the general public knows about the academic standards for K-12 education that are designed to prepare students for college and the workforce. A whopping three fourths of the voting public say they’ve heard nothing or not much about the standards in math and English.

Other key findings include:

-       Voters and teachers strongly support common standards and assessments. Voter support remains strong regardless of age, education level, race, ethnicity, or party affiliation.

-       There has been a significant increase in awareness of the Common Core State Standards among teachers since August 2011, while awareness of the CCSS continues to be very low among voters.

-       The more teachers know about the CCSS, the more positive impression they have of the standards. Similarly, voters who are aware of the Common Core hold a net favorable view of the standards.

-       A majority of both voters and teachers support the CCSS assessments and support holds when more information on the assessments is provided.

-       However, there are mixed reactions to some specific components of the new assessments, although voters and teachers are fairly consistent in their views on the highest and lowest rated assessment components.

Achieve (2012). Growing awareness, growing support: Teacher and voter understanding of the Common Core state standards & assessments. Washington, D.C.: Achieve. https://www.achieve.org/files/GrowingAwarenessGrowingSupportreportFINAL72012.pdf