More than two decades after the fact, my family still refers to fifth grade as my “lost year.” My experience had been so lacking in academic rigor that when I found myself at a new school the following year, my sixth-grade teacher told my parents to give me extra work at home so I could catch up. He told them… Read more →
I know from experience that parents generally don’t tune into news about state test results until they get that personalized report about their own child’s performance on the state exams. And unfortunately, those reports tend to arrive in the backpack or by snail mail many months after the exam–so it can feel a little beside-the-point when your kid has already… Read more →
At schools near military bases, experienced teachers will be able to pick out the truly new faces in classrooms and at parent-teacher conferences. These will be children and parents of military families who have transferred into the community at the request of Uncle Sam. Military families present a special challenge for teachers and the education system in general. As a… Read more →
Opt-Out. Testing. Charters. Common Core. Closings. Accountability. Standards. Teacher Tenure. Teacher Pay. School Spending. If you’re in the education bubble, like we are, you spend the whole year thinking about these issues. But if you’re not, this is the time when a handful of organizations tell the rest of America what parents, teachers and other members of the general public… Read more →
My son and I recently attended a park play date for incoming kindergarteners. He didn’t want to be there. He wanted to stay at preschool summer camp, play forever and not waste time meeting the scary new teachers and new friends. Of course, our jobs as parents is to encourage and be positive, which I did. But over the course… Read more →
A military spouse whose family has moved 16 times and whose children attended 11 different schools makes a compelling case on an issue that continues to be politicized —the embrace of Common Core State Standards. Patty Hunzeker, an educator now living in Virginia and a member of Military Families for High Standards, has seen first hand the learning loss experienced by students who… Read more →
A report by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) provides examples of how the new college- and career-ready standards are being implemented across the country. It is a resource for chiefs and deputies who want to know how their peers at the state and local levels have implemented college- and career-ready standards. This report shines a light on strategies states have utilized when implementing standards and shares with others strategies to adapt or borrow to meet the needs in their own states. The strategies were collected from interviews with educators from over 29 states. The study offers resources highlighting the importance of early engagement with stakeholders, continuous professional development, and high-quality resources.
“The intent is to foster dialogue and spur collaboration. This report is also an opportunity to showcase the outstanding work that goes on in our nation’s classrooms.”
It also provides a glimpse into how state policy impacts educators and students in the classroom, and how district leaders are working to prepare students to succeed after they graduate from high school. Polling shows parents and educators strongly support college- and career-ready education standards, but many educators lack professional support to effectively teach to Common Core State Standards.
Those who were quick to dismiss the Common Core assessments as fatally flawed are having to eat their words.The evidence is in, and it looks like those states that stayed the course with Smarter Balanced and PARCC are in a far more stable position than those states that bowed to political pressure and retreated. As this U.S. News and World Report commentary… Read more →
If you selected 20 parent friends from across the country with diverse backgrounds, children of all ages and diverse educational levels and careers and asked them what—if anything—they knew about Common Core State Standards (CCSS), what would happen? That’s exactly what I did this week. My interest was piqued not only because I’ve noticed – who hasn’t?—that Common Core continues… Read more →
South Dakota’s adoption of Common Core standards was not illegal, a Hughes County judge ruled last week.
Two South Dakota parents filed a suit against Gov. Dennis Daugaard and the state in November arguing that South Dakota’s involvement in an multi-state assessment group aligned with Common Core standards was illegal.
Last week, Circuit Court Judge Mark Barnett ruled that the state had not violated any federal or state laws.