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New Alabama Superintendent Will Face Challenges, But Not Common Core
While Alabama just selected education consultant Michael Sentance as the new Superintendent of Schools this morning, an article earlier today detailed the educational challenges that he may face. Candidates for the position noted that aligning “our assessment and accountability system” and a “lack of unity … to the entire educational community” are among pressing issues. But an article on WALB falsely notes that there are “unresolved questions about Common Core,” a debate that has repeatedly been put to rest in Alabama.
The Alabama legislature has failed to repeal the Common Core State Standards four times. That’s a clear statement that the standards, which are proving to be of higher quality and more rigorous than the ones they replaced, are here to stay. In fact, the only people who feel the issue is “unresolved” are strident opponents who are incapable of acknowledging the facts and a salacious media.
Alabama has moved on from the fight over whether to keep the Common Core. They decided to stick with it – and the new State Superintendent should know that. Sentance will have other challenges to tackle – but this isn’t one of them.
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.