Higher Standards Prepare ALL Students for Success

In an increasingly complex global economy, higher standards matter more than ever. We owe it to all students – not just those from higher income brackets – to prepare them for success in their lives after high school. 

Low K-12 standards do a disservice to all

By Wade Henderson, Education Week

February 3, 2015

“Since 1994, federal policy has required states to have academic standards statewide in reading and math in order to receive funding through Title I, the main federal program for disadvantaged students. But none dared to set them near the rigor required for success in college or careers. For all the transparency the No Child Left Behind Act gave to the achievement gap, it equally gave perverse incentives to states to keep standards low to avoid the political consequences of widespread failure. Low standards do a disservice to all students, especially those whom the law was designed to help.

“The Common Core State Standards offer an opportunity to address the fundamental educational issue facing poor and minority children who don't have access to the same instruction as their peers in wealthier communities. These new standards, if properly implemented with care to address this reality, could make real the promise of equal educational opportunity we've been struggling to achieve for more than 60 years.”

Why Common Core makes the grade

Editorial Board, Minnesota Star-Tribune

February 4, 2015

“Though education is carried out locally, the world that young people must navigate is increasingly national and international. Students must not only compete with peers from other states, but also with counterparts from around the world.

“If states back away from Common Core, they still need to have standards that are as good or better so that their students can continue to compete.”

Common Core State Standards level the playing field

By Matt Moll, Educators for Higher Standards

January 14, 2015

“It is an exciting time to be a public school educator.  Let me repeat that phrase, “It is an exciting time to be a public school educator!”  As some of you wipe the coffee from your shirt and re-read that sentence, I’ll tell you why I am more excited now than I was when I first entered the profession 14 years ago.  I am excited because the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are leveling the playing field for students in Michigan and across the country. During the course of my career, I have taught students in Michigan, Illinois, Maryland, and Indiana.  Students in all those states deserve a strong public education that teaches them a common set of skills that are challenging and designed to prepare them for the 21st century. The CCSS do just that.”

And,

“My childhood educational experiences led me to become a teacher and now a middle school administrator. As a child, I was blessed with parents who had the ability and forethought to consider strength of schools when moving around the country.  As an adult, I can’t help but think about the number of transient students in this country that don’t have that luxury.  Our country and our states need to provide students with a strong, rigorous, and common set of achievable goals, while helping transient families achieve a strong public education. I can tell you from my experience that the Common Core State Standards are making that a reality.”

Achieve has developed materials to help states, districts, and others understand the organization and content of the standards and the content and evidence base used to support the standards. Visit www.achieve.org/achieving-common-core