The Florida Department of Education is asking communities to weigh in on the Common Core standards in public schools. The state is hosting three public hearings about the new, tougher education standards.
They began on Tuesday in Tampa, but the criticism is already rolling in.
The public hearings are part of a pledge made last month by Governor Rick Scott to listen to parents and communities. It came at the same time Scott cut Florida’s financial ties to a group of states that is building a new standardized test based on the Common Core.
Critics of the new standards welcomed Scott’s decision to distance Florida from the Common-Core-aligned test. But now Common Core detractors are worried that they won’t get a fair hearing.Parents at the meetings will be given three minutes to speak—which critics say isn’t enough time to get into the complexities of their arguments against the core. The format also means less of a two-way discussion than they had hoped for.
The first meeting hosted by the Florida Department of Education is in Tampa on Tuesday the 15th. Then in Davie on the 16th. And Talahassee on the 17th.