Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) and several of his Long Island Assembly Minority colleagues recently held their second public forum to address New York’s Common Core curriculum. Held at SUNY Old Westbury, the legislators invited educators, parents and other stakeholders to share their experiences with the curriculum and standardized testing in the hopes of better understanding whether or not these standards are causing our children to become discouraged and disinterested in their education.

“This second public forum again showed how the haphazard implementation of Common Core has made it more difficult for our children to receive the quality education they deserve,” said Ra. “Between the first two forums we’ve held, and the widespread concern expressed by parents and educators statewide, the stakeholders in our children’s education are sending a message that the Department of Education must reevaluate their implementation of Common Core.

“These forums are clearly having an effect in light of the recent announcement that the state Board of Regents has met to consider eliminating some exams. While this is a positive first step, there is still more we can do. My colleagues and I plan on continuing to bring to light the issues facing our education system, until the Department of Education gets it right. In the weeks to come, we will be hosting more forums across the state so all New Yorkers can have their voices heard on this serious matter.”