Lafayette School Board Member Greg Awbrey Explains The Common Core Standards

Lafayette Parish School Board Member Greg Awbrey joined 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' today to discuss implementation of Common Core Standards.  Yesterday a KPEL NewsJunkie called in and asked if was true that history and geography would no longer be taught once the Common Core Standards were in place and Awbrey said,

The first things they will be implementing will be math and English so that may be what your listener heard or saw...other subjects are not included right away.  Education has jumped in with both feet into so many things.  Math and English will be the subjects they will be starting with and other subjects will be added later.

We questioned whether students were being taught history and geography at this time and Awbrey said that students are being taught history and geography,

But it may not be the history and geography we learned in school...You can't say they've changed history but they be emphasizing different parts I suppose.

We asked what changes would be made in math and English instruction and Awbrey responded by saying,

They're changing the standard.  The problem I have with saying you're going to improve education by raising the standards is if yesterday an 'A' was 90 and tomorrow it's 92 you just got a 'B'.  You didn't change what anybody learned.  So, they're changing when people learn certain things...The point of it is to get on a national standard so that we're measured by the same yardstick as the rest of the country.

There's a lot more to this subject and Awbrey does a great job explaining it.  You can hear more by listening to the interview: