Common Core In the U.S.V.I for 2014

Growing up in the U.S Virgin Islands has afforded me a bird's eye view of the struggle that is upon the youths within our territory; overcoming adversity, violence, poverty, and the hardships of economic poverty affect everyone, including students. While there are, thankfully, much more advocates for the well being and education of youths within the U.S Virgin Islands, there is still a lot  of work to be done with regards to preparing them for the ever changing world they were brought into. Our new hope, and commissioner, of educational institutions, has pledged to implement new programs and standards meant to impede the stagnant wave overcoming us. I only hope that the doing of so doesn't move at the snails pace that the government is known to have with regards to public projects and education and that it is adopted with the same briskness that we tend to take with style and music trends. A personal hopeful that I would like to see implemented on a 'sooner rather than later' basis is the implementation of the Common Core State Standards that our territory adopted in 2008.

 "The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world, reflecting the knowledge and skills that our young people need for success in college and careers. With American students fully prepared for the future, our communities will be best positioned to compete successfully in the global economy." - Common Core State Standards Initiative 2012

While many may be unfamiliar with it as I was it's mission statements are very clear as are their standards and our students can only stand to benefit from its implementation. There is a big gap between the materials being taut in our schools and information necessary to successfully succeed within today's world and for many students (like myself) it is unfortunately only realized in college or at what would be the beginning of their careers. The common core standards advocate for the implementation of much needed programs and materials that can prepare our students for the 'real world', a world that is constantly changing to meet rising needs. Our territory is known for its cultural diversity and wide array of entrepreneurs and our students should be prepared to meet the needs of our society to be able to constructively contribute to its betterment. Rather than uniforming our students wardrobes for fear of violence and insecurities, of which are still breed in turn, we need to uniform the educations they receive in order to ensure they have equal opportunities in succeeding in life's endeavors.
 Implementation of such standards can also help lay to rest the stigma's of public schools versus private schools within the territory; with all educational institutions within the territory aligned with those abroad we can be sure that our children will receive adequate information pertinent to their educational developments and growths. As many others, our territory still has problems lingering from the 'old year'; violence, crime, and economic strife's, but as a community we can all stand together to ensure a brighter future for the U.S Virgin Islands and its children.

This year we would like to volunteer our time through various youth/ child centered programs and organizations within the territory. We would like to ask the assistance of the public for assistance with recommending programs/organizations that may need help within the St. Thomas community. All responses can be addressed to usvi.childhood.learning@gmail.com or through our website usviearlychildhoodlearning.blogspot.com. Thank you all and Happy New Year!!