Parent education session: Common core Q&A

Michael J. Maher, PhDAssistant Dean, College of Education

NC State UniversityApril 24, 2014

Introduction• Michael Maher

• Current:• Assistant Dean for Professional Education & Accreditation,

College of Education, NC State• Oversight of teacher education and other school

professionals programs (counseling, social work, school administration, psychology)

• K-12 & Teacher Education Policy • Former:

• Assistant Professor, Teacher Education• High School Science Teacher

• Family• Two daughters enrolled in the Wake County Public Schools

Foundational Concepts• Perception is selective

• Perception filters through our past experience

• Perception narrows when we perceive a threat to our sense of self, goals, or safety

• Problems arise when our perception of a situation is incomplete or distorted

Foundational Concepts• Perceptions and

interpretations occur almost simultaneously

• Interpretations come from our past relationships, it is the “story” we tell ourselves about what is happening

Foundational Concepts• Different people tell

themselves different stories about the same perception

• Problems arise when:• we assume our story is

the only reality

Foundational Concepts• New goals for education require intellectually demanding

experiences that are developmental and continuous as opposed to brief and episodic.

• What we do in school can essentially be divided into two categories• Algorithmic: follow a set of established instructions down a

singular path to one conclusion• Heuristic: a problem in which one experiments with

possibilities to devise a novel solution

What?• What is the Common Core?

• The Common Core is a set of College and Career-Ready standards for grades k-12 in Mathematics & English/Language Arts

• The standards represent goals for student learning

• They are NOT a curriculum• They DO include both algorithmic and heuristic

standards.

When?• When were the Common Core standards

adopted by NC?• The Standards were adopted by NC in 2010• Full implementation began in 2012-2013

When?North Carolina first established a Standard Course of Study (SCOS) in 1898

• NC SCOS provides every content area with a set of competencies for each grade and high school course

• The NCSCOS includes the Common Core Standards (Math & ELA) and Essential Standards (all other subjects)

• Standards are regularly reviewed and updated (approximately every 5 years)

WHy?• Why did NC adopt the Common Core

Standards?• In 2010, NC was one of 12 states to win a

federal Race to the Top grant totaling nearly $400 million.

• One requirement of the grant competition was that the state utilize College & Career Ready standards.

Who?• Who was involved in the development of the

Common Core Standards?• The standards began with the work of the

National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers

• The standards themselves were developed by teachers, content & pedagogy experts, administrators, parents, and state leaders in work groups and feedback groups.

Where?• Where else have these standards been

implemented• Forty-four states, the District of Columbia, four

territories, and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) have adopted the Common Core State Standards. 

How?• How do these standards impact teachers?

• Required professional development• Increased collaboration• Greater flexibility in developing curriculum• Easier transition between grades

How?• How do these standards impact children?

• More rigorous• Fundamentally shift how we ask them to solve

problems• Not only allows children (families) to move more

easily between districts, but between states• Allows parents to make informed decisions

about the quality of education since states will use common benchmarks & standards

• Allows for more accurate international comparisons

How?• Should I support the Common Core?

• That’s entirely up to you.

Common beliefs• The Common Core are Federal

Standards

• The Common Core was paid for by large corporations

• The Common Core will increase testing in North Carolina

• The is no way to modify/update the standards

Questions?• Contact Information:

• Email• mjmaher@ncsu.edu

• Twitter• @mj_maher

• Facebook• Professional Education @ NCSU

• Website• http://mjmaher.weebly.com/

• Slides• http://www.slideshare.net/mjmaher

Resources• Common Core

Website:: http://www.corestandards.org/

• NPR:http://www.npr.org/2014/03/18/291166780/q-a-a-crash-course-on-common-core?ft=1&f=1013

•  Atlantic:http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/04/confusing-math-homework-don-t-blame-the-common-core/360064/

• Hechinger Report:http://hechingerreport.org/content/first-grade-teacher-dives-into-common-core-with-cautious-optimism_13033/

• http://hechingerreport.org/content/parents-return-to-school-to-help-children-with-common-core-inspired-homework_13873/

• http://hechingerreport.org/content/just-facts-please-common-core-transforms-schools-teach-writing_15452/

Resources• WUNC:http

://wunc.org/post/fact-check-clearing-7-common-core-claims

• US News & World Report:http://www.usnews.com/news/special-reports/a-guide-to-common-core/articles/2014/03/04/common-core-myths-and-facts

• http://www.usnews.com/news/special-reports/a-guide-to-common-core/articles/2014/04/17/common-core-honoring-the-societal-contract-of-success-through-education

• Edutopia:http://www.edutopia.org/blog/common-core-critical-thinking-aesop-vincent-mastro

•  Education Week:http://www.edweek.org/ew/collections/common-core-in-action-report-2014/index.html

•  Common Core Hearing:http://youtu.be/CpBjioT7Z1Y 10:33