Carol’s Summary:
 The Council of Chief School Officers and the National Governors Association announced a set of nationwide standards for math and English on Wednesday, which, if accepted by states, would standardize the curriculum of public schools around the country. The motivation behind the concept of standardized learning is to increase academic achievement and level the field for all students regardless of what state they live in.
According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, the English language standards include learning to write logical, research-based arguments as well as to be thoroughly prepared for college-level reading and vocabulary upon completing high school. For math, one of the main goals is to ensure that students are prepared for algebra by the eighth grade.
 Education Secretary Arne Duncan has accepted the authorization of the national guidelines as a part of the criteria for Race to the Top, the competition in which states vie for education funding. Various education groups also advocate the standards and are encouraging states to consider incorporating them into their curriculum.
Curriculum, whether it is standardized or unique, is one of the most important aspects of academics and education. It is at the core of what helps students to learn and accomplish their goals. LifeBound’s curriculum and books are used in schools and classrooms to supplement the existing curriculum that many schools use to help their students succeed. Visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com for more details and information on LifeBound’s books and curriculum.
Article:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060603062.html
The Answer Sheet: Common state standards are no more than part of the answer
By Valerie Strauss
Special to The Washington Post
Monday, June 7, 2010
So now we have a set of standards for math and English language arts that were designed for all states to adopt so learning could be more uniform across the country.
On Wednesday, the folks behind the initiative — the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association — released the standards, which spell out what children are expected to learn in those two subjects from kindergarten through high school.
