Common Core Standards

Contemporary Issues in Education

EDUC 350 Preston R. Hill Kali McCarley Annie Zimbelman

Common Core Standards

Centralizing Educational Standards to the Federal Level Vs. Keeping Educational Standards decentralized to the State Level
Course Implications:
Control of Education and Decision Making (Chapter Nine-Governance of Education) Educational Funding (Chapter Eleven-Educational Finance: Who pays?) Curriculum Development (Chapter Four-Curriculum)

Issue #1-Control of Education

What are the Federal, State, & Local Key Governance Levels?

Federal Level-The Bully Pulpit uses power and influence to initiate school policies and programs. The Department of Education provides three major functions which are research, publication, and dissemination of information on education in the United States (Pg. 348, G.G.)

State Level-49 states have state boards of education, whose primary purpose is to supervise elementary and secondary education within the state. The state boards set curriculum standards, appoints personnel, and many other responsibilities (Pg. 354).
Local Level-The local school district is a state corporation, carrying out the states educational program. The local school board selects Superintendent of Schools and establishes school policies and procedures, adopts budgets, and many other functions.

Issue #2-Educational Funding What are sources of School Funding?

*Chapter Eleven Pg. 415 G & G,

Issue #3-Curriculum
Who is involved in Curriculum Development and Implementation?
Curriculum is all the experiences, the learning opportunities, provided by the school. It is a relationship between teachers, what they are teaching and their students (Pg. 138, G. & G.).

State Educational Standards Federal Government's No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Constraints Teacher Influence in Implementation

Centralization-Who Supports it?

Curriculum Development

Michael Cohen, President, Achieve The K-12 Common Core State Standards represent a major advance in standards for Mathematics and English Language Arts. They are grounded in evidence about what it takes for high school graduates to be ready for college and careers and build on the finest state and international standards. Importantly, they provide a clear and focused progression of learning from kindergarten to graduation that will provide teachers, administrators, parents and students with the information they need for student success. Achieve encourages every state to adopt and fully implement the Common Core State Standards.

Educational Funding

Robert Rothman, (Harvard Education Press, 2011: Inadequate funds for implementation was a major challenge. Yet the survey also found that 80 percent of districts had efforts to implement the standards under way or planned for 2011-2012. An more activities are likely once the assessments to measure the standards are in place.

Control of Decision Making

www.corestandards.org We want to make sure that every child across the country is given the tools to succeed.

Decentralization-Who supports it?

Who supports Decentralization?

Washington Post Article-Written by a veteran teacher, Valerie Strauss. Surgeons, welders, surveyors, and teachers should be held accountable for the quality of what they produce, not how they produce it. The Common Core kills innovation.

Curriculum Development

Kasy Brazek, Missouri 5th grade teacher. as a parent, if I had a problem with what my child is learning, in social studies, I cant go to the school district. I cant even go to the state anymore. Because it is out of our hands.

Educational Funding

Nikki Haley, Governor South Carolina. We have to be very careful when we take federal dollars. Every time you take a dollar youre putting a hand behind your back.

Control of Decision Making

Blog by Rachel Sheffield. three federal laws prohibit federal direction, control, or supervision of curricula, programs of instruction and instructional materials in elementary school arena. The Obama Administrations recent move to condition NCLB waivers on a states adoption of the standards, run afoul of these laws.

Significance of the Centralization of Common Core Standards

As a teacher, we should know the Common Core Curriculum Standards so that we are able to prepare and adapt the curriculum to what needs to be taught and the most effective way to teach it. Teachers need to understand who has control at the local, state, and federal educational levels so that they are able to inform the students, parents, and the community. It is important to me because students need the proper tools and resources to succeed in school and in the workforce. The financial implications of developing, adapting, and providing curriculum and assessment tools for the Common Cores is daunting. There are still so many questions about how much these new standards are going to cost and where the states are going to come up with the money to pay for it.

Questions and Insights Arising From Our Research

Insight about Public Education:

There are so many decisions being made by the powers that be- federal, state, and local that we wonder how much is truly focused on the kids themselves.

Questions from our research:

What does our future look like with the introduction of these Common Core Standards? This is such a complex subject and we still have questions about where can we go to research this topic further?