Some Common Core

Coalition Calls For Moratorium On Common Core Consequences.

Valerie Strauss writes at the Washington Post (6/7, Strauss) “Answer Sheet” blog that the Learning First Alliance, “A coalition of education organizations and unions that support the Common Core State Standards issued an open letter on Thursday backing a moratorium of at least one year” on consequences tied to Common Core-aligned assessments. Strauss notes that the coalition consists of “the American Association of School Administrators, the American School Counselor Association, the International Society for Technology in Education, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, the National School Boards Association and the National Parent Teacher Association.” She notes that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has recently said that “teachers have not had time to properly absorb and create curriculum around the standards,” making it “unfair for students to already be taking high-stakes tests aligned to those standards.”

Blogger Explores Role Of Civics Education In Common Core.

Justin Reich writes at the Education Week (6/7, Reich) “Ed Tech Researcher” blog in response to an email from Joaquin R. Tamayo Jr., the Assistant Director of the Education & Society Program at The Aspen Institute, about the “intersection between the Common Core and the democratic purposes of education.” Reich addresses the literature on civic education that exists, and concludes, “we cannot lose sight of the fact that great public schools have a responsibility to prepare young people for civic life. I do think that some of the best ideals of learning embodied in the Common Core can be put in service of that important mission.”