Poverty is the big problem

To the Editor:

The (Washington) Post has reported that according to a recent PDK/Gallup poll, the Common Core educational standards are losing support nationwide (August 19). The poll asked those opposed to the Common Core why they were opposed, giving them several possible reasons.

The options did not include the reasons many educators oppose the Common Core: There is no need for a radical change in curriculum or testing. Substantial improvement will come only when we deal with the real problem: Poverty. When researchers control for the effect of poverty, American test scores are near the top...