Understanding the Common Core: Resources from AR Ally
Posted on: Friday May 23rd, 2014
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 44 states and the District of Columbia. To say they're contentious is to put it mildly. For various reasons, a nationwide backlash has taken hold and some states are reconsidering the standards.
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 44 states and the District of Columbia. To say they're contentious is to put it mildly. For various reasons, a nationwide backlash has taken hold and some states are reconsidering the standards.Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, a member of the Arkansas OTL Campaign, has released a short guide for parents to answer some of the biggest questions about the Common Core and its impact on their children's schools. For example, it explains how the standards were developed, how states plan to evaluate them, and the difference between "standards" and "curriculum."
Perhaps the biggest criticism of Common Core (and one we here at the OTL Campaign share) is that standards are only as good as the resources available to meet them. Higher standards like Common Core can be a good thing, but only when they're matched with the resources students, teachers and schools need to achieve those standards. Given the deep inequities in our nation's public schools, merely raising standards won't fix things. However, if the new standards are implemented with care and evaluated fairly, they could be a chance to identify and address the gaps in access to resources like adequate school funding, pre-k, Advanced Placement classes, highly trained teachers, etc.
An Inspiring Year of Student Organizing in Philadelphia
The Philadelphia Student Union, an OTL Campaign ally, has had an eventful school year organizing for educational justice in Philly and nationwide. Check out this recap of their great work this past year! The following post originally appeared on the Philadelphia Student Union (PSU) website and is reposted here with permission. PSU is an OTL Campaign ally. read more
Judith Browne Dianis Talks School Closures on Melissa Harris-Perry Show
Publication Date: Fri, 2014-05-30 This May marks the 60th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision, but nationwide many students of color are still held back by an inequitable education system. In particularly, they are dispropotionately affected by the mass school closures that are taking place in cities across the country. On a recent episode of the Melissa Har
#EduElection: How Grassroots Voices Shaped NYC's Mayoral Election
A new issue of the The Annenberg's Institute's Voices in Urban Education chronicles how grassroots organizers in New York City championed a new vision for education reform and shaped the mayoral election that put Bill de Blasio in office. It seems the tide might finally be turning in the fight for public education. read more