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Correcting the Record: Common Core Has ‘Robbed a Generation’
In an opinion piece published by the Heartland Institute, Peter Ward, president of the National Association of Scholars, claims states have invested too much in Common Core State Standards to get out, and “chances are it has robbed a generation.” “Policymakers and educators must implement a better educational model, a task that will involve repair and restoration.”
In actuality, states adopted Common Core State Standards because they set rigorous, clear learning goals for all students, ensuring more students will get and stay on a path that prepares them for college and careers. An 2010 analysis by the Fordham Institute found Common Core State Standards marked a big improvement over most states’ academic expectations and created greater comparability among states and school districts—giving educators a tool to build on best practices and measure student development.
Implementation has not been perfect. But since adopting the Common Core, states are overwhelmingly sticking with it. Of the 45 states to initially adopt the standards, only one —Oklahoma—has moved to replace the standards with a set of distinctly different learning goals. Instead, states are reviewing, refining and building on the Common Core framework—exactly as the standards were designed.
As Karen Nussle explains, states have weighed the evidence and seen past the rhetoric. They are continuing to implement the Common Core because they set clear, consistent college- and career-ready expectations for students. “Five years after states initiated the creation of Common Core State Standards and voluntarily adopted them, the debate over whether the Standards will survive appears to be settled: Common Core Standards are here to stay.”
About the Collaborative for Student Success
At our core, we believe leaders at all levels have a role to play in ensuring success for K-12 students. From ensuring schools and teachers are equipped with the best materials to spotlighting the innovative and bold ways federal recovery dollars are being used to drive needed changes, the Collaborative for Student Success aims to inform and amplify policies making a difference for students and families.
To recover from the most disruptive event in the history of American public schools, states and districts are leveraging unprecedented resources to make sure classrooms are safe for learning, providing students and teachers with the high-quality instructional materials they deserve, and are rethinking how best to measure learning so supports are targeted where they’re needed most.