Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (AACF) is releasing three documents aimed at helping low-income parents understand Common Core State Standards (Common Core). The documents are written in family-friendly language that is more easily understood by non-education professionals. One of our partner organizations in this work, the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, will be using the materials in meetings with parent groups in small communities around the state. This work is being supported by the Southern Education Foundation in Atlanta.

This second publication in our three-part series, “What You Should Know About Common Core State Standards,” outlines the reasons why Arkansas needs Common Core. It emphasizes that in addition to memorizing facts, students will be expected to understand the information they are learning and share their opinions on classroom study topics. Students will become thinkers