At the basis of each individual is the education that raised he or she into who they are. This past year America saw its public education system overhauled by Common Core, a curriculum mandated by the federal government. It essentially aims to level the playing field of the national public education system. Common Core currently draws more questions than answers, and somewhere in between we as a staff feel the facts are often misconstrued.
    In a letter to the editor in The Washington Post, Thomas Donahue, president of the United States Chamber of Commerce has this to say about Common Core Standards:
    “Common Core prepares students to succeed in the 21st-century economy. It focuses on the building blocks of learning, including reading and math. It provides clarity and consistency that puts participating states on an equal footing. And it insists on high standards. Common Core is not a curriculum, a federal program or a federal mandate. It was created at the state level. Curriculum remains within the control of districts, school boards, school leaders and teachers.”
    Common Core intends to emphasize critical thinking in America’s students.  As a majority of us are products of the public education system, we feel critical problem solving was not emphasized in our education. As Mississippians, we feel that in order to gain the momentum needed to catch our school systems up with the rest of the country, an education standard must be set. And while we acknowledge the valid possibility that teachers will use common core to teach solely the test material, we also feel the public education must set some sort of standard if it hopes to catch up with the rest of the nation.
    As an editorial board, it our opinion that if implemented properly, Common Core will equalize the typical American student and level the playing field for college admission, while additionally ensuring equal success at a variety of universities. Furthermore, it allows a student to migrate to school systems in different states without falling behind. If all the states’ education systems are not at the same level, then the public education system has failed, as the public education system was initially set up by the federal government to provide equal opportunity for education and to equalize future posibilities for students across the nation.
    We hope that, once Common Core is instated, teachers are given the creative freedom to teach their students the mandated material in the way they see best fit. We acknowledge the importance critical thinking plays in the daily lives of Americans. We see the necessity for Common Core and while we do not expect overnight results, we hope Common Core provides future benefits to our children and the generations to come after us.