IMPROVING OUR EDUCATION

In 2010, a set of learning benchmarks (Common Core) were adopted by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, to bolster the country’s competitiveness in this modern world. I do applaud their effort in helping bring our educational standards at the lower level where each student will be adequately prepared for the colleges and will be able to function effectively in the present and future worlds. Kudos to Bill Gates, whose foundation supported the development of the Common Core. The Common Core outline the skills that students have to master at each grade level. The Common Core have it's opponents. Some people think it is a way of the government taking over the school system. I believe these people have misplaced fears. It is up to the various states to adopt it or not. Some parents are also skeptical about it. Some have demonstrated with placards that state that, "My child is not common". Common Core does not make students common. They are just minimum expected skills that each child is expected to acquire. They are just basic guidelines to help students succeed. Since all the fingers are not the same size, students can always go beyond the skills outlined to so they are not "common" but at least, there should be some basic acquired skills. Isn't this a good thing for our country? If all our schools meet these basic requirements, no child will be left behind. 

Teachers and administrators will have to become creative in helping the children to succeed if these standards are adopted. This is the challenge that the educators will face. Some people still like their old ways of teaching and they hate to face new challenges. But as life evolves, so should our educational system. There may be shortage of resources such as books, etc., but there are still creative ways to help students succeed in spite of these shortages. For example, there are many resource online that can be tapped into. Many students in developing countries do not have access to books and internet yet they are able to succeed with the minimum resource that they have. Why can't we, who are blessed abundantly and beyond measure, be able to do better? 

What parents need to know about the Common Core.

Read about the myths and facts about the Common Core.