More on the Core

Overview & Synopsis

From a higher education perspective, new "Common Core" standards could improve student college-readiness levels, reduce institutional remediation rates, and close education gaps in and between states. As a national initiative to create common educational standards for students across multiple states, the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represent a new chapter in American education. In keeping with the tradition of state and local control over education policy, this initiative was driven by state governors and state education commissioners across the country. Participating states committed to improving college-and career-readiness rates at a time when international comparisons showed the U.S. lagging behind in educational performance, college attendance and degree attainment. Yet, the CCSS are neither a federally-mandated curriculum nor a prescription for operating a classroom. The CCSS are rather grade-level expectations of what students are expected to learn. It is up to states and school districts to implement the standards and develop accompanying curricula that align to the standards. However, it's hard to see CCSS succeeding without higher education. In particular, awareness and support from the higher education community is needed in two areas: (1) assessing post-CCSS students' college readiness; and (2) teacher preparation. Building upon this initial understanding and support for the standards and college-ready assessments will be even more important in the coming months. As P-20 education communities there must be a "staying the course" to support schools, school district leaders, and teachers in raising expectations and helping students meet the challenges of being college and career ready.