Despite common misconceptions, New York teachers support education reforms such as the Common Core and teacher evaluation systems. Recently, Bronx teacher Nick Lawrence testified in front of the New York State Senate Standing Committee on Education, voicing his support for change.
In his contributing piece for WNYC, Lawrence describes his testimony, acknowledging that education reforms are advantageous:
From where I stand in front of my classroom, the reforms – specifically, the new teacher evaluation system and Common Core learning standards – have advanced both teaching and learning in New York public schools.
Lawrence goes on to disprove the common notion that teachers do not support the Common Core:
The evaluations of ‘how’ we teach come as we implement the new Common Core State Standards. One would think from the tone of the debate that a few greedy for-profit textbook companies are the only entities on earth that support the new standards. But I have some news for the professional Common Core–haters: it’s just not true. A recent poll conducted by the National Education Association – the country’s largest teachers’ union – found that about 75 percent of teachers favor the new standards.