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The Common Core State Standards Initiative last week released a draft of its college and career-readiness standards for English language arts and mathematics for grades K-12. Led by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers, this initiative has the Obama administration's strong support.
How would you grade this draft? How could common state standards impact the quality of U.S. education?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
15 responses: Gary Huggins, Steve Peha, Dennis Van Roekel, Sandy Kress, Tom Vander Ark, Rep. John Kline, David G. Sciarra, Nelson Smith, Terry W. Hartle, Steve Peha, Monty Neill, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Frederick M. Hess, Diane Ravitch, Kim M. Stasny
The nation's economy lost roughly $335 billion in additional income from high school students who should have graduated with the class of 2009 but dropped out, according to a brief that the Alliance for Excellent Education released last week. President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan often talk about the serious problem of high school "dropout factories" that graduate 60 percent or fewer of their students. But there is no broad consensus on how to address the issue. One solution, proposed by a Texas education official, is for states to voluntarily ban the hiring of high school dropouts as a way of keeping kids in school. What do you think is the best way to solve the high school dropout crisis?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
26 responses: Linda Darling-Hammond, Cornelia Grumman, Gary Huggins, Deborah A. Gist, Steve Peha, Lisa Graham Keegan, Bill Jackson, Alex Johnston, Mary Ann Wolf, Dennis Van Roekel, Deborah W. Meier, Tom Vander Ark, Pedro A. Noguera, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Sandy Kress, Rep. John Kline, Steve Peha, Ellen Winn, Marguerite Kondracke, Phil Quon, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, David L. Kirp, Sherman Dorn, Sandy Kress, Diane Ravitch, Gov. Bob Wise
A book about college graduation rates released last week, Crossing the Finish Line, revealed some alarming statistics. Just 33 percent of the freshmen who enter the University of Massachusetts (Boston) graduate within six years; at the University of Montana, less than 41 percent graduate; and at the University of New Mexico, only 44 percent do so. The findings are based on the records of roughly 200,000 students at 68 colleges. The book's bottom line: America faces a college dropout crisis.
What can be done to boost college completion?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
22 responses: Deborah A. Gist, Eliza Krigman, Steve Peha, Monty Neill, Randi Weingarten, Dennis Van Roekel, Terry W. Hartle, Michael L. Lomax, George R. Boggs, Linda Darling-Hammond, Steve Peha, David L. Kirp, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Sandy Kress, Diane Ravitch, Jackie Bennett, Kevin Carey, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Arthur J. Rothkopf, Sherman Dorn, Frederick M. Hess, Jamie P. Merisotis
Founded in 2002, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) set out to "serve as a catalyst to position 21st century skills at the center of US K-12 education by building collaborative partnerships among education, business, community and government leaders," according to its Web site. Some of the biggest players in education and business are part of this effort, including the National Education Association and Microsoft, and it's been endorsed by the Department of Education.
Now that we are nearly a decade into the 21st century, has this endeavor succeeded?
Veteran education reporter Jay Mathews dismissed the 21st-century skills movement, and P21 itself, in an article titled "The Latest Doomed Pedagogical Fad." Do you agree? Has P21 accurately identified 21st-century skills? If not, what are they?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
23 responses: Dennis Van Roekel, Jackie Bennett, Lisa Graham Keegan, Steve Peha, Mary Ann Wolf, Eliza Krigman, Sandy Kress, Monty Neill, Sandy Kress, Monty Neill, Sandy Kress, Monty Neill, Eliza Krigman, Tom Vander Ark, Ken Kay, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Steve Peha, Phil Quon, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Kim M. Stasny, Diane Ravitch, Sandy Kress, Andrew J. Rotherham
This Education Blog is funded by support provided, in part, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the purpose of creating an educational forum for sharing research, ideas and opinions regarding issues related to college readiness and college completion. The Blog may not be used to post partisan political statements supporting or opposing candidates for public office. All statements and materials posted on the Blog, including any statements regarding specific legislation, reflect the views of the individual contributors and do not reflect the views of National Journal or the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation. National Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation take no positions regarding any legislation discussed in the Blog. National Journal reserves the right to monitor material placed on this site and to remove any posting they may deem inappropriate.
