Coast Young Professionals Hosts Talk About Common Core

Education, more specifically Common Core, has been one of the most talked about topics discussed in the Mississippi state legislature this session.

Wednesday, Coast Young Professionals hosted a talk with a Mississippi First education policy expert. Heather Sanders is the mother of a 3rd grader in the Gulfport School District who has been taught under Common Core since 2010. She feels the new standards are better preparing her son to compete in the real world. Sanders says, "When everyone else started having it, it seemed to be kill Common Core, Common Core is bad, it’s horrible, but the standards aren’t what’s bad."

For some parents News 25 spoke with, the issue doesn’t lie in the Common Core standards. It lies in the transition of how those standards are being implemented in the classroom. To be clear, students are still learning the same subjects, only now, they must explain their answers. Parents like Sanders say it amounts to a new way of teaching and educators just need proper training. She also says, "As a parent, I feel that there’s sometimes learning gaps between the teacher’s education and what they’re able to relay to the students."

While educators who are part of the pilot program in Gulfport got extensive training in teaching the standards, not everyone around the state was so lucky. Deputy Director of Policy for Mississippi First, Angela Bass, says that’s an issue which needs to be addressed at the district level. Bass says, "I’ve talked to teachers who don’t feel prepared and that’s definitely an issue that needs to be addressed."

As for making the transition more comfortable, Sanders says the Gulfport district offers parent sessions designed to acclimate parents to the new standards. Sanders closes, "I’m able to directly connect with the teacher and get some on that one on one help, but I would like to see that for everyone because I’m sure everyone doesn’t have that same support."

Both parents and experts want to see the new standards work by getting teachers properly trained and offering resources for parents to better help their children excel in the classroom.