On Tuesday, the Arizona Senate gave initial approval to a bill that would prohibit the state from using a set of educational standards already implemented in most states. Arizona adopted the Common Core standards in 2010 without opposition, but some Republicans have recently denounced the standards, saying they are a poorly conceived, federally driven effort that usurps states' rights.

Michael Petrilli is a conservative but disagrees with Republicans who criticize common core. Petrilli is executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

He will be in the Valley on Thursday as part of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce’s Phoenix Forum. The title of his speech is "Our Classrooms, Our Workforce, Our Future." Petrilli joined us from Washington, D.C.