As of January 2012, 45 states and the District of Columbia have adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in English language arts and mathematics developed through the leadership of the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Released in June 2010, these voluntary standards outline the knowledge and…

In this article, the author discusses how to implement the Common Core State Standards in the classroom. She presents examples and activities that will leave teachers feeling "rosy" about tackling the new standards. She breaks down important benchmarks and shows how other teachers are doing the Core--and loving it!

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is the most successful attempt to gain consensus across states for 21st century standards in language arts and mathematics. So far, 46 states have accepted these standards, with two consortia organized to translate them into resources and sample activities. A consultant firm has been hired to develop the…

A year ago, top officials in the school leadership world were worried. It seemed to them that principals were being overlooked in national conversations about how to get educators ready for the Common Core State Standards. But that is changing. The past six months have seen a surge of activity to acquaint principals with the new standards and…

School librarians are in a profession where it is easy to be isolated. Often, school districts have only one certified librarian and school librarians must create ways to connect with one another and with other educators. Social media opportunities such as Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, wikis, and nings are powerful ways of staying connected on a…

In this era of hyper-accountability, teachers are under ever-increasing pressure to demonstrate their worth--often using evidence that is far removed from what seems to be in the best interests of the students. Terms such as "value-added," "evidence-based," and "data-driven" dominate discussions about teaching…

Amy Magnafichi Lucas is a graduate teaching assistant in the English Studies program at Illinois State university. Prior to her graduate work, she spent ten years in the secondary English classroom. In this article, she points out that most teachers are their own worst enemies. Most of the time this occurs during times of educational change…

The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 46 states and the District of Columbia. They enjoy a huge following of well-wishers and supporters who are optimistic that the standards will boost achievement in U.S. schools. Setting aside the cheerleading and fond hopes, what are the real chances of success? The most reasonable prediction is…

Teacher evaluation should address the complexity of teaching by assessing individual teachers and by helping them continuously improve. Constructive feedback, evidence from multiple sources, and high levels of support are all essential. The six steps to effective teacher development and evaluation presented in this article are: (1) Match high…

With the completion of new standards intended to reshape science education, the real heavy lifting now begins. First, states must decide whether to adopt the Next Generation Science Standards developed by a coalition of 26 states and several national organizations. Already, though, considerable focus is turning to laying the groundwork for the…

Not long ago, the author had the wonderful opportunity to visit schools in China and speak to Chinese educators. Everywhere she went, teachers and administrators asked her the same question: How can we help our students become more flexible, creative thinkers? She was struck by the contrast between these conversations and the ones she most often…

As teachers, we have both the power and the responsibility to create classrooms full of eager, curious, and active readers and learners. Teaching students to become strategic readers and thinkers and to actively use the knowledge they glean from reading are the focus of the comprehension practices discussed in this article. A longstanding research…

Over the next ten years, more than half of all jobs will require some education beyond high school. The majority of students entering college do not earn a college credential that would give them better access to these jobs. While the Common Core State Standards should lead to more college-ready students over time, students will still need…

This module provides background information and presents the new terminology used in the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). Educators should complete this module to understand the need for common standards, determine information about who developed the Standards, and learn the terminology and the coding used in the CCSSM. An…

The Center on Standards, Alignment, Instruction, and Learning (C-SAIL) examines how college- and career-readiness (CCR) standards are implemented, if they improve student learning, and what instructional tools measure and support their implementation. The Center studies elementary and high school math and English Language Arts (ELA) standards, and…