In education we debate many issues. Sometimes it feels as though we debate just to debate. Whether it's the way we teach reading, writing, or math or the harmful effects of high-stakes testing, many issues create an ongoing dialogue in education. It should be that way only as long as it doesn't prevent us from ever moving forward. As we debate back and forth, a generation of students are waiting for us to get our acts together.
We have all had moments when we just wanted to be told what to do ... and moments when we wanted to be left to make our own decisions. Sometimes we want the opposite of what is being asked of us. As we continue down the road of more mandates and accountability than we have ever seen, we cannot lose touch, no matter how hard it may be, with our jobs to teach the whole child.
Educators need to prepare kids to be career and college ready, but they also need to prepare them for their present world. The Common Core State Standards set out to do that. They're not perfect, but they are a starting point. Unfortunately, they have come with some baggage. Shanahan says, "The recent adoption of the Common Core State Standards by 46 states and the District of Columbia has given rise to anxieties among educators that have fueled the flames of misperception, confusion, and rumor" (2012, p.10).
From the beginning, the Common Core framework has stated that it provides a base for teaching students. The standards never set out to be the only thing that educators are allowed to teach. Unfortunately, some states seemed to lack a clue about how to roll out the standards, which added to the misconceptions. But we have to look at how it can benefit our students.
The Common Core standards will always be only new state standards that educators have to abide by if they don't take the time to truly give them a chance. No matter what any expert tells us, there will never be anything that is considered perfect. There is no silver bullet. A new set of highly researched standards can come out
