Five Myths About the Common Core State Standards

Writing for the Harvard Education Letter, Alliance Senior Fellow Robert Rothman explores five myths about the Common Core State Standards, which have been adopted by forty-five states and the District of Columbia.

To hear more from Rothman on the common standards, register for the book release party the Alliance is hosting for him on October 18 in Washington, DC. Alternatively, you can order a copy of his new book, Something in Common: The Common Core Standards and the Next Chapter in American Education, at http://www.hepg.org/hep/book/146/SomethingInCommon.

Rothman's five myths about the Common Core State Standards appear below:

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Morning Announcements: August 31, 2011

Chicago Public Schools officials announced they have agreed with teachers union to implement Common Core State Standards into the city's curriculum beginning in the 2012-2013 school year. The more rigorous standards have been adopted by forty-five states, including Illinois, but have not yet been enacted in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune. The state standards curriculum is a national initiative to improve student performance in core subject areas such s math and reading by favoring comprehension and analysis over rote memorization.

President Barack Obama spoke about education issues in an interview on the nationally syndicated radio program the Tom Joyner Morning Show. Education Week reports some people in the education sector are hopeful Obama will include money to help avoid teacher layoffs and to revamp old schools in his job-creation package set to be unveiled in coming weeks.

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Afternoon Announcements: August 24, 2011

The nation’s third largest school district has announced plans to increase the length of time its kids spend in school. Chicago Public Schools officials announced yesterday the school day will be 90 minutes longer and the school year will extend by two weeks. Earlier in the summer, Gov. Pat Quinn signed a law giving Chicago Public Schools the power lengthen its school day and year, according to the Associated Press. Roughly 405,000 students attend Chicago schools. The Chicago Tribune reported this afternoon that schools CEO Jean Claude Brizard offered the Chicago Teachers Union a counter-proposal of a 2 percent raise for elementary teachers should the union agree to longer school days in kindergarten through eighth grade.

As rural school populations continue to grow, the success of students in these areas become more important to the nation’s education goals, Education Week reports. Between 2004 and 2009, rural schools grew by 11 percent, from 10.5 million students to 11.7 million. The student populations in rural areas are also becoming more diverse. Today, students of color constitute 28 percent of rural students.

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