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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Next week marks a major milestone in an assessment project of unprecedented scope: the start of field-testing season for new, shared tests of a common set of academic standards. (Education Week)
More than five years after U.S. governors began a bipartisan effort to set new standards in American schools, the Common Core initiative has morphed into a political tempest fueling division among Republicans. (Real Clear Education)
This question is also playing out in the debate over the adoption of the Common Core State Standards in education, now fully adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia. The original goal of the program (coordinated by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers) seemed uncontroversial: to establish consistent educational goals nationwide. These goals include teaching our children to be good writers and readers, competent in mathematics and quantitative reasoning, and conversant with social studies and science. (New York Times)
Although charter schools have been a part of the nation’s education landscape for more than 20 years, states still have a long way to go in paving the way for them to successfully educate students, finds a new report from a research and advocacy group that supports charter schools. (Education Week)
New Jersey
Among the biggest challenges facing Hudson County schools are the drastic changes in New Jersey state education regulations that were introduced over the past few years. They affect how children are taught and tested, and how teachers and staff are evaluated. (Hudson Reporter)