Have You Seen Exxon's Pro-Common Core Commercial Currently Airing on TV?

(YouTube)

Energy giant ExxonMobil proudly supports the controversial Common Core State Standards initiative, according to the company's website and a promotional commercial that is currently airing on TV.

"Forty-five states have joined together to ensure consistent academic standards across America," the commercial's narrator begins. "These internationally recognized benchmarks are unlocking a better way to prepare our children for college and their careers. Because when our kids do better, America does better."

"Let's reach higher. Let's invest in our teachers and inspire our students. Let's solve this."

TheBlaze's front page editor, Jonathon Seidl, actually caught the commercial by chance on Wednesday running in Texas. The video was first uploaded to YouTube by ExxonMobil in April 2012 but the commercial is apparently still airing today.

Watch below:

The Common Core State Standards initiative is, according to its official website, a state-led effort coordinated by the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), developed “in collaboration with teachers, school administrators, and experts, to provide a clear and consistent framework to prepare our children for college and the workforce.”

However, critics, Glenn Beck being one of the most vocal, argue Common Core is doing more harm than good by "dumbing down students across the board" with a mediocre, one-size-fits-all approach.

Or as author and former U.S. Department of Education official Ze'ev Wurman puts it: "No state has any reason left to aspire for first-rate standards as all states will be judged by the same mediocre national bench march enforced by the federal government."

ExxonMobil explains its support of Common Core State Standards on its website:

ExxonMobil supports the efforts of local educators in 45 states who, along with community and business leaders, have come together to develop voluntary, rigorous Common Core State Standards in math and English. For the US to remain competitive globally, we must ensure all children, no matter where they live, are provided the best education possible and are prepared to go to work or college when they finish high school.

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. The Common Core State Standards are anchored by requirements for college and career success, providing a more accurate and rigorous description of academic readiness.

TheBlaze has investigated Common Core, its content and those behind the standardized initiative in great detail. Further, Beck has covered the issue extensively during his show on TheBlaze TV.

If you need a refresher course on Common Core, watch the following segment via TheBlaze TV:

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UPDATE: Exxon's Common Core commercial also reportedly aired during coverage of the Masters tournament on April 14. Twitchy provides some reactions, here.

Beck has come out and questioned why Exxon, an oil company, would come out and support Common Core when the company has absolutely nothing to do with education. Well, he thinks there is a reason. Click here to hear Beck's reaction.

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Related:

• Want to See What CSCOPE and Common Core (Even Homeschooling) Lessons Look Like? These Parents Opened Up to TheBlaze
• Indoctrination and Data Mining in Common Core: Here’s Why America’s Schools May Be in More Trouble Than You Think