Military Spouses Promote Common Core To Raise Quality Of Education

A 15-member military spouse group has launched the Military Families for High Standards campaign. Composed of spouses of active-duty and retired military personnel, they hope to promote Common Core State Standards in American schools to raise the quality of education for their children.

Military families have to deal with several transitions, when the mom or dad needs to be posted to different locations in connection to their service and duties. As such, their children suffer when it comes to school work.

Military kids either end up struggling to catch up in school or becoming bored of classes and lectures they have already learned before they transferred. It's because of this that the Military Families for High Standards are backing Common Core to ensure that military children receive the same type of education even as they move from school to school.

"It's a wonderful opportunity to organize military spouses to support the kind of educational opportunities their children deserve," said the group's chairwoman, Christi Ham,  via Military Times. Having moved 26 times during her husband's duty in the army, Ham has heard many complaints from military spouses about the quality of education in local schools. Her group has partnered with the Collaborative for Student Success to push their agenda.

"I'm a teacher and have worked in schools in three states. The Common Core state standards are rigorous and really promote critical thinking versus rote memorization, algorithms and recall. I am glad to see this as a military spouse, parent and teacher!" said Elizabeth Schilling in a comment on the Facebook page Army Times.

"As a real middle school teacher and soldier, I support Common Core. It not only provides standardized instruction, but holds all children to the same standard," said Bryan Kresie in the same discussion.

However, not every military spouse is behind the idea and the group's initiative has sparked a debate. "This military spouse and teacher does NOT support Common Core!!! It's a joke. If an adult is confused by a first grade math question...there's a problem!" said Annette Fernandez on the Facebook page.

"I am the wife of a soldier who has served over 25 years active duty, I am a mother of two teenage daughters, and I am an educator. Common Core is not a solution but yet renders greater problems within our educational system," said Crystal Vega.

Army-based schools managed by the Department of Defense Education Activity, or DoDEA, have already adopted Common Core and has plans to ease this in the system in all of its instillations in the next five years. The DoDEA oversees 181 schools, including those based outside the United States. However, the government agency renamed Common Core as the College and Career-Ready Standards to diffuse debates among parents and military spouses, per U.S. News.