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More than 40 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards, new national academic benchmarks in reading and math. But the Common Core has become the center of a highly contentious debate nationwide.

Proponents say the Common Core was designed to ensure that children, no matter where they go to school, are prepared to succeed in college or the workplace upon graduation. Opponents argue that many of the standards are not age- or development-appropriate, and that they constrain the ability of teachers to adjust their teaching to their individual classrooms.

In a recent Intelligence Squared debate, two teams of education experts squared off on the motion, "Embrace the Common Core." In these Oxford-style debates, the team that sways the most people to its side by the end is the winner.

Before the debate, the audience at the Kauffman Music Center in New York voted 50 percent in favor of the motion and 13 percent against, with 37 percent undecided. After the debate, 67 agreed with the motion, while 27 percent were against, making the team arguing for the motion the winner of this debate.