Common Core
Education news, analysis, and opinion about the Common Core State Standards, a set of academic standards for teaching English and mathematics in K-12 schools.
See also: Standards
The Common Core Explained
With all the developments and debate around common standards, here are the resources you'll need to get up to speed.
Standards
Opinion
Educators Weigh In on Implementing the Common Core, Even Now
Though outlawed in some states, the standards still offer a strong foundation for English, math, and other subjects.
Mathematics
Opinion
How Reflexive Partisanship Has Undermined Math Education
Conflict over how math is taught is not new. An educator recalls the many disputes since the 1990s.
Standards
Opinion
Did I Accurately Guess the Fate of the Common Core? You Be the Judge
In 2012, I imagined what the Common Core would be like in a decade. Now, readers can compare this imagined “future” to reality.
Teaching
Opinion
Q&A Collections: Implementing the Common Core
Ten years of posts sharing lots of advice and experiences related to applying the Common Core State Standards.
Equity & Diversity
Why the Critical Race Theory Fight Is Harder for Educators Than the Common Core Battle
Educators and advocates see clear parallels—and sharp differences—between the politically charged disputes with schools at the center.
Standards
Opinion
How the Failure of the Common Core Looked From the Ground
Steve Peha shares insights from his on-site professional-development work about why the common core failed, in a guest letter to Rick Hess.
Standards
Opinion
Common Core Is a Meal Kit, Not a Nothingburger
Caroline Damon argues Rick Hess and Tom Loveless sold the common core short, claiming the issue was a matter of high-quality implementation.
Standards
How New Common Core Research Connects to Biden's Plans for Children and Families
A study of national test scores indicate the early phase of the Common Core State Standards did not help disadvantaged students.
Standards
Opinion
After All That Commotion, Was the Common Core a Big Nothingburger?
The Common Core State Standards may not have had an impact on student outcomes, but they did make school improvement tougher and more ideological.
Standards
Fact Check: Trump Administration Didn't 'Get Rid' of Common Core
U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos implied at the Conservative Political Action Conference that President Donald Trump has fulfilled a pledge to "get rid of" the Common Core State Standards. That's not true.
Standards
People Keep on Saying They're Killing the Common Core. How Dead Is It?
Florida's governor declares a standards overhaul would "remove all vestiges" of the common core. But it remains unclear how much is really changing under the Florida Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking.
Equity & Diversity
2010 to Now: A Turbulent Decade for Schools
Common Core. School shootings. ESSA. Betsy DeVos. The past 10 years have been a whirlwind of policy upheaval, tragedy, and change for K-12 education. Here’s 10 highlights—and a bonus.
States
An Unexpected 'Education Governor' and What's Next for Florida
Ron DeSantis had a thin record on K-12 issues as a Florida congressman, but as a first-term Republican governor he’s pushed an aggressive agenda on issues such as vouchers, teacher salaries and bonus pay, and even the common core.
Standards
Is Homework Valuable or Not? Try Looking at Quality Instead
Although homework does tend to align to standards, a lot of it is busywork, rather than requiring students to use higher-order thinking skills.