A proposal from the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers, called “common core,” that aims to set nation wide educational standards is in the final stages of development. It will set parameters for what children should be learning at each grade level and what expectations will be for graduation from the public school system.
The Common Core plan is a breakthrough after years of stalemate over the role of the federal government in setting education standards. Both the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations tried to establish voluntary national standards in the 1990s and failed. As a result, analysts report, many states have weakened standards since 2000 in order to help their schools meet the requirements of the 2002 No Child Left Behind law.
The proposal seeks to avoid controversy over federal interference in the school system, which has traditionally been the territory of the state governments, by keeping the Obama administration out of the process of drafting the blue print. President Obama has lauded the governors’ initiative, however, and on February 22nd he said that federal aid for disadvantaged students should depend on whether states certify their standards are “college- and career-ready.” That description perfectly matches the goals stated in the new proposal, making it clear that he plans to reward participation in the Common Core plan with federal dollars.
Every state in the union except for Alaska and Texas has given initial support for the effort. Kentucky has already adopted the proposal, acting last month on a late-stage draft before public release. Experts say that some some states will resist, but, ultimately, as education policy blogger Susan Ohanian puts it, “It’s a done deal because Obama attached all this money.”
Michael Casserly, executive director of the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents major urban systems, thinks the proposal is crucial for improving the floundering public education system: “It’s very clear to us that when standards are high, it elevates the performance of kids and schools. Where they are low, it appears to serve as a drag on your ability to get faster gains.”
Comments
Pwll
March 11th, 2010 - 7:20:50 PM
Sounds interesting, but I'd like to know what those standards are going to be, how they will be tested, how children with learning problems will be accommodated, etc. Interesting article.
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