Common-Core Commentaries
The widely adopted Common Core State Standards have provoked opinions and ideas from thought leaders, policymakers, and the educators who have to implement them. Browse their perspectives in this collection.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Why 10th Grade Should Be the New Senior Year
Allowing students to graduate after their sophomore year and providing two years of alternative options could curb dropout rates, proposes Blair E. Lybbert.
Federal
Opinion
For State Leadership, the Common Core Is a Boon
As state leaders look ahead to ESSA implementation, the common standards offer key insight, writes Thomas J. Kane.
Standards & Accountability
Opinion
Creating Informed Citizens Should Be Education's Goal
Education is key to raising responsible citizens, writes Arnold Packer, a former assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Labor.
School & District Management
Opinion
To Change Education, Change the Message
Laurene Powell Jobs' investment in model schools is not enough to alter the education landscape, writes Ron Wolk.
Special Education
Opinion
Four Steps to Implement RTI Correctly
Eight researchers weigh in on how RTI can be implemented successfully.
School & District Management
Opinion
5 Questions Policymakers Need to Ask About Common-Core Test Results
Common-core test outcomes should serve as indicators for assessing student needs, argue Joshua Starr and Elaine Weiss.
Reading & Literacy
Opinion
The Newspaper Has a Place in the Classroom
Newspapers hold great promise as instructional tools for enriching English/language arts instruction, writes Joanne Yatvin.
Federal
Opinion
To Protect Children at Risk, Washington Must Play a Role
Without federal government pressure, states and school districts will do little to address inequity, writes former L.A. mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Assessment
Opinion
The Opt-Out Movement Is Gaining Momentum
The building opt-out movement signals a need for K-12 policymakers to improve family engagement, argue Michael P. Evans and Andrew Saultz.
Assessment
Opinion
States Should Ditch 'Cut Scores' on New Tests
Raising standards should be about helping students achieve them over time, not condemning students to failure, argues Randi Weingarten.
School & District Management
Opinion
What Makes Summer Programs Work for Middle Schoolers?
In summer learning programs, social and emotional learning is a key way to support a student's individual needs, writes Tiffany Gueye.
Federal
Opinion
Our K-12 Policies Resemble Those of Imperial Japan
There is irony in today's U.S. education standards resembling those of pre-World War II Japan, writes Lawrence Baines.
Assessment
Opinion
Q&A With Sir Ken Robinson
Sir Ken Robinson shares his thoughts on student engagement and testing, the future of teacher education programs, and why vocational education matters.
College & Workforce Readiness
Opinion
Why Colleges Should Care About the Common Core
Higher ed. should be prepared for the common-core learning experiences of college-bound students, write Harold G. Levine and Michael W. Kirst.