The Benefits of Common Core State Standards

Learning Matters took a look at whether the implementation of the Common Core State Standards is beneficial or detrimental to schools and sought the input of leaders within the education community. The Alliance for Excellent Education Senior Fellow, Bob Rothman, offers his thoughts on the three factors that work in favor of the core standards.

The Common Core Standards represent a significant step forward in American education. Long before other nations, the U.S. established a basic education as a right for every child. Two decades ago, states began setting standards to define the knowledge and skills that should comprise that education. Now, with the Common Core Standards, nearly all states have defined a basic education as what all students should know and be able to do to be prepared for college and careers. And, significantly, the expectations are the same, no matter where a student lives.

To read more, visit Learning Matters.

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Afternoon Announcements: December 6, 2011

The weather outside may be frightful, but the delightful staff here at The Alliance for Excellent Education hopes to keep you warm and informed with the latest in education news.

A long-lasting initiative of educational reform has been to reduce classroom size but CNN addresses the importance and relevance of the debate as classroom sizes continue to swell. According to the New York Times, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg joins the discussion by suggesting the focus on classroom size is unnecessary and silly compared to the numerous other obstacles education reform faces. Read Entire Post

Afternoon Annoucements: December 2, 2011

Happy Friday!  If you haven’t headed to happy hour already, kick back and enjoy as we ease you into the weekend with today’s education news.

The editorial board at the Washington Post applauds Secretary of Education Arne Duncan’s call to tackle the spiraling cost of college education by actually addressing the cost side of the equation as opposed to government solely focusing efforts on increasing federal aid and reducing interest costs on loans. Although acknowledging Secretary Duncan’s initiatives will not be a complete resolution to the enormous problem, the Washington Post calls it a “welcome dose of straight talk.”

 

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"Storm" Looming Over Washington, DC Could Impact Nation's Schoolchildren

In the video to the left, Alliance President Bob Wise explains how competing "storms" around education reform in Washington, DC, could impact the educational futures of the nation's schoolchildren.

In this "weather report," Gov. Wise discusses two looming "storm" systems. The first, led by President Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, is focused on providing waivers and greater flexibility to states from key requirements in the No Child Left Behind Act. The other, underway in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives, is about rewriting No Child Left Behind, but will require Democrats and Republicans working together on a compromise.

In the coming weeks, Gov. Wise will report on whether the Senate and House of Representatives can come together on a bill that could be sent to the White House and outflank the waiver option. "If no agreement is made, then the waiver option could overwhelm the Congress, pushing them out of the picture completely and controlling the education atmosphere in Washington, DC until after the next presidential election," Wise says.

Learn more in the Alliance's federal policy news section.

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Afternoon Announcements: December 1, 2011

Happy Not-Quite-Friday-But-Close, also known as Thursday! Hopefully a tardy arrival of afternoon announcements won’t adversely affect our grade and will satisfy your appetite for educational news. Enjoy!

A’s are a good thing, especially when it comes to grading. While the STEM initiative may be receiving good grades, many experts argue it could use an A, for Arts that is. Education Week reports that momentum is growing for the STEM to STEAM initiative, aimed at adding arts to the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics acronym commonly used in education policy dialogue. They argue that integrating the arts with STEM education enhances student learning and draws attention to the often-ignored value of arts education. Of course, it would not be a debate without those who disagree. Education Week talks with both science and arts experts as the move from STEM builds STEAM.

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