What to Expect from the "Common Core" Curriculum
http://thekojonnamdishow.org/shows/2010-08-30/what-expect-common-core-curriculum
Guest Host:
Brendan Greeley
Students head back to class this fall with a fundamentally different, yet strikingly similar, curriculum. This summer, more than 30 states adopted the Common Core Standards, a set of academic requirements in English and math that experts say will prepare students better for college and careers. But questions remain about the quality of the curriculum. We explore the standards, and look at what changes parents and students can expect.
Guests
Michael Cohen
President of Achieve, Inc.
Sandra Stotsky
Professor of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas
Leah Luke
Spanish and English teacher at Mauston High School in Mauston, WI.; Wisconsin's 2010 Teacher of the Year
Comments
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I am the parent of a middle school student in a Prince George's County Public School. I want to know if these new standards going to help my children.
Here is my story.
Over the past school year, my husband and I have come to realize that either the public school curriculum or our school does not include any instruction in grammar and writing composition. We became aware of this fact first after noticing our 7th grade daughter's inability to write a simple essay for a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) summer camp application. This caught us by surprise because our daughter is a Talented and Gifted (TAG) student with a 3.6 G.P.A.. Other parents, former and present, from our school have had similar experiences with their children. For some students it was the difficulty in writing the essay for high school admissions. For others, it was not having the level of writing proficiency expected for incoming high school students.
To address our daughter's deficiency, we enrolled her in a 4 wk, 2 hr/day, writing class at Sidwell Friends School. What we liked about the class was that our daughter was taught a writing framework that guided her writing development. She also received immediate feedback from her teacher that further developed the writing skills and increased her confidence. Even our daughter noticed that her writing moved from being a collection of scattered thoughts to a clear and focused telling of her story. Although our daughter has improved her writing, she has not yet mastered writing.
Every student deserves to leave middle school prepared for whatever high school they choose to attend. Since writing is not a part of the state's curriculum, our students are leaving unprepared. Our daughter benefited from the additional support we could provide her, but not every child has that opportunity.
Will these new standards help in what is actually being taught in the classroom?
The link for "Sandra Stotsky's Critiques of the Common Core Standards (at the Pioneer Institute website)" does not take you to that article, but to a general page about "Programs."
Our non-profit organization (Quality Matters) is interested in this conversation as we provide a research-based framework around which to design online courses.
Here are three questions that we have:
1. What is the relationship between the existing state standards and the common core standards? In other words, will the common core standards take over the state standards?
2. What does it mean to have "adopted" these common core standards? Is there an implementation plan or timetable?
3. What is the schedule for other common core standards for other subjects?
Thanks!
I called in during the show, and wanted to clarify my remarks. While we can appreciate Professor Stotsky's concern re: core standards being undemocratic, it's actually the current system that's the de facto *closed* system.
If you're a parent or teacher (and definitely if you're a student!), here's why this is important: because content matters. This is especially true in math. If you look at how most textbooks are written, the lessons are often dull, and there's generally very little context. It's no surprise, then, that 50% of middle schoolers respond that they'd rather take out the trash than do their math homework.
On the other hand, Mathalicious lessons revolve around real-world topics. We use eBay to calculate the depreciation of the iPod (exponential decay), or Verizon cell phone plans to learn Algebra (step functions & solving equations).
Yet even if our content is better, we can't compete. We simply don't have the resources to align our lessons to 50 sets of state standards. Core standards, however, would empower innovators like Mathalicious (and certainly others) to compete on a level playing field. It may seem paradoxical, but if the goal is to democratize what materials can get into schools--to give teachers and districts a real choice over what they use--then common standards can play a key role.
First Mathalicious, I suspect you are trying to capitalize and make $$$ like every other vendor out there trying to make money off of taxpayers. Get in line.
There are quality math materials out there available to students: Singapore Math and Saxon Math.
Second, why is it, that Candada with NO federal involvement in education has students who perform at a higher rate than the U.S. students at a lower cost? Centralizing education does nothing to empower parents yet gives more power to the National Govt.
To the English teacher on the program, how do you account for the terrible writing skills of so many of our children graduating from high school?
The parent who wrote about their child lacking grammar skills highlights the poor writing skills of many of our students. I avoided all of these problems because I sent my kids to a private school. They received an outstanding education in the core curriculum without national standards.
We continue to pour money into the public school system while the private schools are doing a fabulous job at a fraction of the cost.
Mathalicious is free. Regardless, schools and districts simply will not consider alternate sources of curriculum (on a wide scale) if they're not aligned to state standards.