Common Core State Standards: An Opportunity for Improved Educational Equity, or Another Step Away From State and Local Control of Public Schools?

An Education Week online article (Cavanagh, 2009) reported today that a revised version of the “Common Core State Standards” have been released for public comment. The draft standards constitute “college and career ready expectations” (CCSI, 2009), intended to define academic expectations for language arts and mathematics.

For those unfamiliar with the Common Core State Standards Initiative (CCSSI, 2009), it is spearheaded by the National Governors’ Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, in partnership with major players in college preparation including Achieve, ACT, and the College Board. The purpose of the Common Core State Standards is to improve implementation of consistent, high quality academic standards and equitable opportunities for students to learn across the country.

The Common Core State Standards hold tremendous implications for public education. States currently establish their own standards, which can be problematic when content standards and tests differ from state to state. This not only muddles the picture of student achievement from state to state, making it difficult to evaluate how individual state systems, districts, schools, and students are performing, but it also means students’ opportunities to learn and prepare for postsecondary education and employment may be dramatically different (Schmidt, Houang, & Shakrani, 2009).

If you’re thinking this probably won’t affect you, think again. To date, 48 states are participating in the Common Core State Standards Initiative (Cavanagh, 2009). CCSSI literature emphasizes states may voluntarily choose to adopt the standards, but if they elect to do so, they must ensure the core standards comprise 85 percent or more of their state standards in language arts and mathematics. In addition, states competing for federal grant monies under the “Race to the Top” initiative may earn priority status if they choose to adopt the Common Core Standards.

As you might expect, not all scholars agree national standards are a good thing (Zhao, 2009). Some educators and citizens deplore the loss of creativity in schools, along with decreased state and local control over curriculum content, they say is sure to result if national standards are implemented by states. Proponents of national standards claim this fear is unfounded, based on their studies of countries implementing national standards (Schmidt, Houang, & Shakrani, 2009).

Work on the Common Core State Standards continues. In December 2009, a set of draft language arts and mathematics standards for grades K-12 are scheduled for release.

What does this mean for educational leaders and teachers at the local level? It is highly probable states will strongly consider aligning their standards to the Common Core State Standards. It may just be a matter of time. Educational leaders will need to anticipate the implications for their districts and schools.

References:

Cavanagh, S. (2009, September 21). Revised draft of ‘core common standards’ unveiled. Educational Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/09/21/05standards.h29. html?%20tkn=MRNFfLYaFeV2Ha1ZQU2h%2Fh9lgl8xksHZsO%2F4

Cavanagh, S., & Gerwertz, C. (2009, July 23). Draft content standards elicit mixed reviews. Education Week. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/07/23/37standards.h28. html? tkn=QPQC4Oj%2FZs1REcT5okIoLAQUbfvPubCGhyzu

Common Core State Standards Initiative (2009). Common core state standards initiative [Executive summary]. Retrieved from http://www.corestandards.org/

Zhao, Y. (2009). Catching up or leading the way: American education in the age of globalization. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.