California State Education Superintendent Endorses ProCon.org for Critical Thinking and Common Core Instruction

SANTA MONICA, Calif., July 2, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Tom Torlakson, the California State Superintendent of Public Instruction, recently endorsed ProCon.org for its use in critical thinking and civics education and its consistency with national Common Core standards.

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In a June 2013 statement to the ProCon.org organization, Mr. Torlakson wrote:

"As someone who uses procon.org personally, I see the great value it can bring to California's students, teachers, and librarians. This free educational resource helps students develop vital 21st century skills such as critical thinking and civics education. It also helps them learn about important issues, and is consistent with Common Core and the findings of my Education Technology Task Force."

ProCon.org, a nonpartisan organization that provides free pro, con, and related research on dozens of controversial topics to millions of readers, has been used by educators in over 3,750 schools in all 50 states.

California's top education official had previously endorsed ProCon.org in May 2011. His latest testimonial comes as Common Core standards are being increasingly implemented in 45 states and 6 US territories.

ProCon.org Chairman, Steven C. Markoff, commented on the high-level praise:

"It is obviously a proud moment for ProCon.org to have the highest education official in the most populous state recognize and appreciate our commitment to critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship. We look forward to working with teachers, librarians, and administrators everywhere in making our free educational materials available to more educators, students, policy makers, and others."

For more information about critical thinking, visit the ProCon.org "Teachers' Corner" (http://www.procon.org/education.php) which provides studies, articles, and many teacher resources related to the impact of critical thinking.

For information about ProCon.org, visit www.procon.org.

About Us
ProCon.org (online at www.procon.org) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity whose mission is promoting critical thinking, education, and informed citizenship.  Information is currently presented on 47 different ProCon.org issue websites in subjects ranging from standardized testing, alternative energy, and medical marijuana to the death penalty, illegal immigration, and gay marriage.

ProCon.org websites are free of charge and require no registration.  The websites have been referenced by over 850 media entities, cited 36 times by the governments of 11 countries (including 27 US states and nine US federal agencies), and used by teachers, librarians, and educators in over 3,750 schools in 56 countries and all 50 US states.

ProCon.org had over 15.7 million unique readers in 2012 and more than 2 billion hits since its inception in 2004.

Media/Press Coverage of ProCon.org Includes
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CONTACT: Kambiz Akhavan
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SOURCE ProCon.org