STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On the day before Gov. Andrew Cuomo's annual State-of-the-State address, a new poll shows voters want him to concentrate more on education issues in 2015. Specifically, voters say, they want the governor to put the brakes on implementation of the Common Core curriculum standards. According to a new Siena College poll of New York State registered...
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- On the day before Gov. Andrew Cuomo's annual State-of-the-State address, a new poll shows voters want him to concentrate more on education issues in 2015. Specifically, voters say, they want the governor to put the brakes on implementation of the Common Core curriculum standards.
According to a new Siena College poll of New York State registered voters released Tuesday, by a 15-point margin, 49-34 percent, voters said implementation of Common Core standards should be stopped.
"Jobs and education are the two issues that at least 40 percent of voters statewide say should be one of Cuomo's top two priorities in 2015," said Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.
While Democrats and New York City voters are closely divided on the issue of whether or not to continue implementing Common Core education standards, Repoublicans want implementation stopped by about two-to-one, Greenberg said.
Common Core became a central issue in the November election, with Republican Rob Astorino's "Stop Common Core" ballot line garnering more than 50,000 votes. Early poll results going into the race found a majority of voters wanted to see implementation of the Common Core standards stopped rather than continued. Cuomo supporters also were opposed, or in favor of slowing down its implementation.
The governor and the Legislature will have to deal this term with Common Core-related issues, such as teacher evaluations, the emphasis on state standardized tests, and curriculum methods -- the latter two being a source of frustration for parents across the state.
"I think the governor is going to have to look at the Common Core issue again," said Community Education Council President Michael Reilly. "There are changes that need to be made. They are missing the big picture."
Gov. Cuomo is expected to focus on several key education issues in his address Wednesday.