- National Urban League provides parent-focused communications, resources and tools to support children’s successful transition to Common Core State Standards –
- Only half of African American parents are aware of the Common Core, but when accurately informed, nine in 10 agree that the Standards will better prepare children for college and workforce -
New York, NY (April 24, 2014) – Today, the National Urban League – along with the Los Angeles Urban League, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, the Urban League of Greater Cleveland and the Urban League of Middle Tennessee – announced the launch of an education campaign, Put Our Children 1st: Common Core for Common Goals, designed to inform parents about Common Core State Standards, what they are and what they mean for students. The campaign will also provide parents with vital tools and resources they need to ensure that their children successfully transition to and receive the full benefits of these new, high-quality academic standards in English language arts and math. By raising standards for everyone, the Common Core can help bridge the education achievement gap and create a level playing field for all students to excel regardless of family income, ethnicity or where they live.
The Put Our Children 1st campaign includes several communications and engagement activities aimed at increasing understanding of the Common Core among parents so that they are empowered to become true partners in their children’s education and success. Campaign activities include a series of facilitated local Parent Circles that will take place between April and September of this year. During these events, parents and concerned community members will learn and provide feedback about the Standards and how they are being implemented in their states and school districts; what they and their children can expect from the new standards; what resources and tools are available to them; and what parents can do to help ensure that the standards are equitably resourced and implemented.
“The National Urban League and our affiliate network have long advocated a leveling of the academic playing field accompanied by higher quality in education, and the Common Core State Standards represent historic milestones in American education to help our nation achieve this goal,” said Marc H. Morial, President & CEO of the National Urban League. “It does not serve our nation well when some children are systemically less prepared than others, nor does it serve our nation to have this issue tossed onto a political battlefield where it becomes a casualty of partisanship and deliberate misinformation. When implemented responsibly and equitably, the Common Core can reach its promise of better preparing all students for college and the jobs of today and tomorrow. The Put Our Children 1st campaign is a critical tool to arm parents with accurate information that will enable them to become powerful advocates for the Common Core – and most importantly, for their children and their children’s futures.”
Click here to read the full press release.
For more information, visit www.PutOurChildren1st.org
