A Shared Commitment to Education

Feb 15, 2013 1:00 PM ET
Campaign: Stakeholder Voices

A Shared Commitment to Education

GE was pleased to be part of a group of more than 70 corporations and associations to express support for successful implementation of the new College- and Career-Readiness standards.  The group demonstrated its support by signing a letter published in the New York Times. Why did we do this? Because the ability of our country to compete successfully in a global economy demands that our students be either ready for college-level coursework or prepared for careers when they graduate high school.

These new K–12 English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics standards were adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. Led by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State Officers (CCSO), these standards reflect the hard work of the best thinkers in our country. The new standards are designed to improve the academic performance of our students. They also meet the business community’s expectations—they prepare students for college and a career, are grounded in evidence and are internationally benchmarked. We firmly believe these standards will better prepare students for college and the workplace.

Our shared commitment intends to do but one thing—let America’s educators know that the business community is behind their efforts. We believe in America and its students. We believe America’s schools hold great promise for creating a more highly skilled workforce. Our local, state and national economies demand it. We believe our students can achieve more, and we believe the Common Core State Standards serve as a necessary foundation for making the changes needed to improve student achievement and ensure a strong U.S. economy for decades to come.  

Learn more at www.achievethecore.org/business-speaks-for-the-core