Common Core
Education news, analysis, and opinion about the Common Core State Standards, a set of academic standards for teaching English and mathematics in K-12 schools.
See also: Standards
The Common Core Explained
With all the developments and debate around common standards, here are the resources you'll need to get up to speed.
Equity & Diversity
2010 to Now: A Turbulent Decade for Schools
Common Core. School shootings. ESSA. Betsy DeVos. The past 10 years have been a whirlwind of policy upheaval, tragedy, and change for K-12 education. Here’s 10 highlights—and a bonus.
States
An Unexpected 'Education Governor' and What's Next for Florida
Ron DeSantis had a thin record on K-12 issues as a Florida congressman, but as a first-term Republican governor he’s pushed an aggressive agenda on issues such as vouchers, teacher salaries and bonus pay, and even the common core.
Assessment
Opinion
Did the Common Core Kill Classroom Assessment?
New standards may be more rigorous, but they've created a widening gulf between large-scale and classroom assessment, argues Gregory J. Cizek.
Standards
Is Homework Valuable or Not? Try Looking at Quality Instead
Although homework does tend to align to standards, a lot of it is busywork, rather than requiring students to use higher-order thinking skills.
Curriculum
Common Core Scrapped Under Florida Gov.'s Executive Order
The end of the standards raises a whole host of questions about what will replace them.
Equity & Diversity
Opinion
Five Reasons Author Visits Are More Than Just Cool
Reading a book and meeting the author is not just a cool event to shake up the regular school routine--it's a powerful learning opportunity that can affect students academically and personally.
Standards
Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Vows to Stop Common Core
Republican gubernatorial nominee Ron DeSantis is renewing a political trend that had fallen dormant: calling for the end of the use of the shared standards.
Reading & Literacy
Young Adults Lead the Way as Poetry Readership Increases Across the Nation
Despite a move towards using more nonfiction texts in the classroom, young adults' poetry readership in 2017 was the highest on record over a 15-year period.
Standards
Opinion
Arne Duncan's Take on School Reform: Read It!
Marc Tucker reflects on what we can learn about systems reform from the former Secretary's new book.
Standards
Do States Weaken Their Standards By 'Un-Adopting' the Common Core? These Reviewers Think So.
The English/language arts and math standards in most states that "un-adopted" or tweaked the Common Core State Standards are, in the end, "substantially weaker," according to the latest review of state standards from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.
Curriculum
Choose an Aligned Math Curriculum, Get Better Common-Core Teaching?
An aligned textbook appears to help teachers engage students in certain math practices, a report concludes.
School & District Management
Opinion
Using Inquiry to Teach About China
Ideas for teaching about the political relationship of the United States and China.
Curriculum
The State of Common-Core Reading and Writing in 5 Charts
Teachers are assigning more nonfiction and teaching vocabulary in context—but they report using fewer grade-level readings in their classes, an expansive new report concludes.
Standards
Opinion
The Testing Tragedy
Marc Tucker discusses the importance of getting testing right now that the number of PARCC and Smarter Balanced states have declined significantly.