Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin said Thursday he supported key elements of Common Core, but understood why some parents are frustrated by the changes.
"They brought that child into this world and we ignore their frustrations at our peril," said Griffin, who has a daughter in second grade and said he has seen the curriculum changes firsthand.
Griffin spoke at the Arkansas' Independent Colleges & Universities Education Policy Conference in Little Rock.
The lieutenant governor was appointed by Gov. Asa Hutchinson in March to lead a 16-member council to evaluate and make recommendations about the future use of the Common Core State Standards in Arkansas' public schools.
The council continues to meet and has not yet released its recommendations.
The Common Core State Standards are used in Arkansas and more than 40 other states as the basis for public school math and English/language arts curriculum and instruction. The standards -- phased into Arkansas' public schools starting in 2011-12 -- and the standardized testing based on those standards have generated opposition from some parent groups in Arkansas and elsewhere in the nation.
At the conference, Griffin sought to draw a line between how Common Core was implemented and the changes students are experiencing.
"I believe that a lot of the people, well-intentioned, said this is what we're going to do and they just did it," he said. "And we're now paying a price for that. The meetings we're having should have happened five years ago, and that's really the issue."
"This is why we are where we are. If you doubt it, go to a listening session."
Griffin said further meetings and listening sessions are important because they allow frustrated parents to be heard.
"Recognizing the problem and not being defensive about it -- that's the first order of business," he said.
Besides the anger generated by a "top down" approach, Griffin said many parents have concerns over data security, over-testing and age-appropriate material.
He said he, too, was concerned about his daughter's data but had consulted experts and determined it is secure.
"I am letting the facts lead me," he said. "If that makes people uncomfortable, that's where we need to be."
But over-testing and the age-appropriateness of certain concepts were two areas where experts are split, Griffin said.
"Common Core's not perfect. There are real issues that need to be looked at," he said. "There is disagreement in your community."
During the conference, other speakers spoke about the need for a greater share of Arkansas students to go to college or attend a trade school.
State Sen. Jane English, R-North Little Rock, talked about why South Carolina recently landed a Volvo plant.
"They don't have any better incentives than the state of Arkansas has, but they do have a workforce system," she said. "We have said there is one door open for most kids coming out of high school. There ought to be 40 doors for people coming out of high school."
Rex Nelson, president of Arkansas' Independent Colleges & Universities, said he spent about 10 years in the governor's office during Mike Huckabee's administration.
Arkansas twice came close to landing a major Toyota plant during that time, he said.
"Think about it. One of the busiest east-west interstates in America and one of the busiest north-south interstates in America -- I-40 and I-55 -- come together right here. The largest inland river in America -- the Mississippi River -- is right here. The largest freight airport in the world -- Memphis International -- is right here. And Union Pacific has its largest intermodal facility right here," Nelson said. "Air, ground, water, rail -- all that comes together right here."
He said workforce issues were a major reason Arkansas missed out on those plants.
During a later session, state Senate President Pro Tempore Jonathan Dismang, R-Searcy, said he hoped the state would not miss out on another opportunity.
Hutchinson is calling the Arkansas Legislature back for a special session aimed at creating incentives to win a defense contract for the state.
Lockheed Martin said it has plans to conduct final assembly of its Joint Light Tactical Vehicle in Camden.
"It's not just the jobs that are part of that Camden plant," Dismang said. "We also have suppliers and all the jobs that come with it."
Metro on 05/15/2015