Gov. Maggie Hassan (D)
Date of Speech: Feb. 6
In her first state of the state address, Gov. Hassan called the Common Core State Standards, which New Hampshire has adopted, “an important step forward,” saying they have strong bipartisan support and “should be implemented.” (Local districts in New Hampshire are not required to adopt the standards, but they must administer state tests that are aligned to them.)
Gov. Hassan also urged a state focus on preparing young people for the science, technology, engineering, and math fields. New Hampshire needs to ask “tough questions,” she said, such as, “Should we be requiring computer science as well as biology? How can we better integrate engineering and technology into our classrooms?” She then announced that she will be creating a task force made up of various stakeholders to help improve stem education across the state.
