New York State is on the verge of halting implementation of the Common Core standards. New York Urban League President and CEO Avra Rice explains why a moratorium would be a big mistake for parents and students.

National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial discusses why the Common Core standards are critical for American education.

Recently, National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel released a statement condemning the implementation of the Common Core standards. American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten has previously expressed similar sentiment about the standards.

"While end-of-year testing isn't new, the knowledge that was tested last spring is. For the first time, students across the state were assessed based on the new, more rigorous Common Core standards."

The following op-ed appeared in the New York Post on August 7, 2013.

We must put children’s interests first. The issue here is not about low results, but setting a higher bar.

Nathalie Elivert, StudentsFirstNY Director of Educator Outreach and former New York City public school teacher reacts to the results of the Common Core Standards.

In last night’s final presidential debate on foreign policy, both candidates continued to address the importance of education. While traditional foreign policy experts might not place education at the top of the agenda, the truth is that it’s one of the greatest tools in our national security toolkit, and one that could use some sharpening.

StudentsFirstNY Director of Education Anna Hall responds to the New York Times Sunday Dialogue, noting that key education reforms are helping us measure and accelerate progress.