As the father of two children in elementary school, I understand how vital it is to provide our kids with the knowledge and skills they need to be successful workers in a challenging and changing world. Nobody knows our kids--what they need, how they learn--better than we do, and that's why the power to make decisions about what and how they're taught should belong to parents and teachers, not to Albany or Washington. Common Core should be a set of recommendations, not a straitjacket for our schools. Instead of forcing its costly mandates on our communities, let's dedicate those resources to equipping our classrooms with the best technology and rewarding our teachers for excellence. And let's give families the choice of where to send their kids to school. Charter schools work. They should be encouraged, not thwarted. No child should be denied the opportunity for a great education because of where they live or their family circumstances. It's time to put our children's needs first.