Statement by Anne L. Bryant
Executive Director, National School Boards Association

Alexandria, Va., - March 11, 2010 -  NSBA supports the process that the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association (NGA) have undertaken to develop common core academic standards.

Our common goal is excellence in public education for all children and we are looking forward to the reviews of the first official public draft released this week by CCSSO and NGA from local practitioners.

While NSBA and its Delegate Assembly have supported the concept of common core standards, it is also our belief that they should be voluntary by the states and not mandated as a condition for receiving federal education program funds.

We know that developing common core standards can play a substantial role in student achievement, but standards alone do not transform teaching and learning. School districts must have the resources to increase professional development and learning time, so that students can achieve these high levels of learning.

Founded in 1940, the National School Boards Association (www.nsba.org) is a not-for-profit organization representing state associations of school boards and their 95,000 local school board members throughout the United States. Its mission is to work with and through all its State Association members to foster excellence and equity in public education through school board leadership. NSBA achieves that mission by representing the school board perspective in working with federal government agencies and national organizations that impact education, and provides vital information and services to state associations of school boards throughout the nation.

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Contact;
Linda Embrey, Communications Office
National School Boards Association
703-838-6737; lembrey@nsba.org