The Common Core Standards
1. The Common Core definition
There are many studies have conducted on the Common Core issue. I am interested in reading and knowing this topic, the Common Core Standards in the American perspective.
The main goal of both No Child Left Behind and the Common Core State Standards are to have students perform better primary in Language Arts and Mathematics, though the Common Core State Standards does branch out into other subjects, like Science. With No Child Left Behind, there is a focus on testing on Language Arts and Mathematics and schools that do not improve would face sanctions. With the Common Core State Standards, there is still a focus on testing primary in Language Arts and Mathematics and a very detailed map on how to teach the subjects, there is also some guidance in teaching other subjects, like Science. Schools and teachers need to try use the new standards and try to cater to the needs of their students as much as possible, though the teachers might not always be able to do this. Both No Child Left Behind and the Common Core State Standards are not easy to implement, but a teacher has to do what they can to help their students face these new standards.
A wide variety of issues, locally and nationally, are affecting education, and will continue to affect education until these issues are addressed and solved. Overcrowded classrooms, shortages of supplies, low teachers’ salaries, dilapidated buildings, and high substitute teacher use are a few of the issues that have affected many schools across the nation. Even though a few of these problems have been resolved, many still remain. These issues are determined by the location of the school and the type of school, either private, public, or charter. The current issues in education that will influence my teaching, based on my beliefs, pertain to The No Child Left Behind Act, time management, lack of flexibility, school budget cuts, technology, and bullying.
Initiated in 2002, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 intended to prevent the academic failures of educational institutions and individual students, as well as bridge achievement gaps between students. This act supports the basic standards of education reform across America; desiring to improve the learning outcomes of America’s youth. No Child Left Behind has left many to criticize the outcomes of the Act itself. Questions have risen concerning the effectiveness of NCLB, as well as the implications to America’s youth.
A quote that has always stuck with me is this, from George Washington Carver: “Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.” When thinking of children, who go to school as early as four years old in this country, that quote has a special resonance. After all, educators and childcare professionals go into their careers driven by a desire to help children manage their lives and mature into capable adults. What says capability more than total freedom and autonomy? Interestingly, many teachers and educators feel anything but free when it comes to the current education system in this country. There are laws in place that are ostensibly meant to facilitate learning for students of all abilities and ages, but backlash -- from educators
The Common Core has been a highly debated educational initiative based in the United States that provides children of all race, religious denomination, and socioeconomic background the same educational path from kindergarten through senior year of high school or the 12th grade. The Common Core provides six standards on its website that serve as its oath. “The standards are: 1. Research- and evidence-based. 2. Clear, understandable, and consistent. 3. Aligned with college and career expectations. 4. Based on rigorous content and application of knowledge through higher-order thinking skills. 5. Built upon the
Common core is not a new method. America has set standards since at least the 1950’s and many schools have since then implemented a curriculum supporting this ideal. These standards in language arts and mathematics are supposed to help the nation prepare students for college and their future careers. The effects of common core, both positive and negative, lead to the debate on whether or not it should still be implemented in schools today, but thanks to federal funding it has made it hard to get rid of the program. It is because of this that the governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal has decided to sue the federal government for violating the 10th amendment. Although many can agree that having standardized goals gives both the students and staff
Wadden, M., & Fagan, B. (n.d.). Literacy development: A community perspective. Retrieved from Memorial University website: http://www.mun.ca/educ/faculty/mwatch/fall01/wadden-fagan.htm
Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards focused mainly on mathematics and English language arts and literacy (ELA), according to corestandards.org. These learning goals are the outlines of what a student should know and should be able to achieve at the end of each grade level (Common Core States Standards Initiative, 2016). Although strides for equality in teaching and learning were made, many schools around the country were not achieving the same level of academic success. For decades, the educational progress of our nation’s scholars has been stationary so much so that we have fallen behind out global peers (Common Core States Standards Initiative, 2016). One source has been an “uneven patchwork of academic standards that vary from state to state and do not agree on what students should know and be able to do at each grade level” (Common Core States Standards Initiative, 2016). Lewin (2010), also sites imbalanced state principles and or policies a reason the United State students have fallen behind internationally. The disproportion of each state’s standards was further exacerbated under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
Since 2010, there were 45 states that have adopted the same educational standards called Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The initiative is sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers and seeks to establish consistent education standards across the states. The Common Core Standards is initiative state-led effort that established a single set of clear educational standards for kindergarten through 12th grade in English and Mathematical standards. These standards help to educate all of the students equally, they help children who move from state to state, as well as they help to prepare students for college and workplace. The common core standard helps to provide a clear understanding for teachers and parents of what is expected of the students to learn. It is designed to help educate our children for the future; it gives them the knowledge and skill they need to be prepared for post secondary education and employment. "The standards are designed to be robust and relevant to the real world." (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices, Council of Chief State School Officers)