Turning the Common Core State Standards into better teaching and learning is a massive undertaking that is touching nearly every state in the country. It’s reaching into teacher evaluation, assessment, instructional materials. It’s raising questions about teacher preparation, and shifting the focus of professional development for in-service teachers. And even as all that happens, it’s still controversial, with persistent questions about federal intrusion and the new standards’ academic demands.
We’ve got a special report out this week on common-core implementation. It explores the overall terrain of what lies ahead, and it explores the way states and districts are implementing the math and English/language arts standards, as well as how they are grappling with applying the standards to English-learners and special education students. It takes a look at the big challenge of professional development.
Check here for the overview to the report. From there, you can check the blue box for individual stories on the topics I mentioned.
You’ll probably also be interested in taking a look at a year’s review of common-core-related commentaries, posted here.