Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Schulz speaks at a press conference, announcing the formation of Businesses for Tennessee Prosperity. The group says it has already raised over $100,000 to lobby lawmakers and run ads in support of Common Core.
A Tennessee businesses group supporting Common Core education standards is taking to the airwaves. A new radio ad features a conversation between two actors, portraying a teacher and a parent.
In the sixty-second ad, the two talk about some of the changes, brought about by the standards adopted in Tennessee and 44 other states.
“Tennessee’s Common Core state standards have raised the bar for achievement in our school, but it’s great that we can concentrate on real world learning rather than teaching to the test,” the teacher says. The parent responds, “Must be working. I’ve read Tennessee education is improving faster than any state in the country.”
The state’s schools have made gains in recent years, but the Governor and Education Commissioner have said there isn’t one single factor that’s lead to improvement.
“I don’t want to over-attribute the results to any one particular thing because I don’t think we have the statistics to back that up,” Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman said last November.
A group called Businesses for Tennessee Prosperity paid for the radio ad. It’s made up of the state’s chambers of commerce, including the one in Nashville. They’re trying to stop lawmakers in the General Assembly from halting or delaying Tennessee’s implementation of Common Core, but the spot doesn’t urge listeners to call their representatives. It just directs them to a website, where they can learn more about the new education standards.
Businesses for Tennessee Prosperity won’t say exactly how much it’s spending on the ad, which will run on radio stations across the state over the next week or so.
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