STATEMENT: CAP’s Carmel Martin: Kentucky Students Are Reaping the Benefits of the Common Core State Standards

Washington, D.C. — Center for American Progress Executive Vice President for Policy Carmel Martin issued the following statement today after the Kentucky Department of Education released new data showing an improvement in student performance, college and career readiness, and the number of students graduating from high school. The data show that 62.3 percent of students are now ready for college and their careers, up from 47.2 percent in 2012. In 2010, the college readiness rate was just 34 percent. Kentucky was one of the first states to implement the Common Core State Standards.

Kentucky’s students are reaping the benefits on the Common Core. A competitive 21st-century workforce is dependent on students that are ready for the rigors of college and career. In Kentucky, the numbers speak for themselves, and they suggest that the Common Core is a crucial, much-needed policy reform. When it comes to education reform, we know what works, from rigorous standards to raising expectations for students. This all happened thanks to the efforts of teachers.

We all want our sons and daughters to succeed—and Kentucky demonstrates that we can’t go back to the status quo when it comes to fairer, stronger and smarter achievement standards.

The following CAP experts are available today to discuss the Common Core State Standards:

• Gov. Ted Strickland, Counselor to the Center for American Progress, President of the Center for American Progress Action Fund
• Carmel Martin, Executive Vice President for Policy
• Catherine Brown, Vice President of Education Policy
• Ulrich Boser, Senior Fellow

To speak with an expert on this topic, contact Allison Preiss at 202.478.6331 or [email protected].

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