Thursday, October 1, 2026
New York state wants your opinion on its controversial Common Core curriculum.
The state has posted a voluminous survey on its Education Department website asking the public to respond to questions about the Common Core program.
According to a message from Education Commissioner MaryEllen Elia, the state is committed to evaluating the standards regularly. She said that the survey’s results “will directly inform any changes that we make to the standards as a result of the review.”
Oceanside Superintendent Phyllis Harrington said she is pleased with the state’s effort. “This is a great opportunity for people to weigh in regarding the standards,” she said. “I have heard the commissioner speak, and I believe she’s very serious about reviewing data. It’s what people have been asking for.”
Dr. Joseph Famularo, superintendent of Bellmore schools, noted that the survey “is challenging. There are over 2,000 items, but each time you click on a standard, it keeps drilling down to another level.” The instructions note that respondents don’t have to comment on every standard in the survey; in fact, they can comment on as few or as many issues as they choose.
Since their inception in 2011, the Common Core standards have been a lightning rod for controversy among students, parents and educators. In New York, the standards are modeled on those from the federal government. According to nysed.gov/aimhighny, the goals of the review are to increase awareness and understanding of the English and math standards and to gather feedback from New Yorkers with an eye toward improvement.
“Improvement is needed,” Famularo, who is also president-elect of the Nassau County Council of School Superintendents, acknowledged. “It’s very important that we get as much information from parents and teachers as possible.”
