Credit: Alison Yin for EdSource Today

Credit: Alison Yin for EdSource Today

Most California teachers, policymakers and commune leaders believe the Mutual Core Country Standards volition help create more higher- and career-set up high school graduates, but educators also desire more clarity on how to ameliorate implement the reform, according to a new report.

"Leveraging the Common Core to Support Higher and Career Readiness in California," a study released Tuesday by the Sacramento-based research and policy analysis group EdInsights, too constitute that near educators surveyed back up Common Core concepts that promote critical thinking and problem-solving, which they say were largely lacking under the previous standards.

Notwithstanding, the lack of clear guidance about how to implement the Common Core, and confusion about how to integrate the many college and career readiness-focused reform efforts underway in California, have created "initiative fatigue" among many educators, the report plant.

"This research outlines policymakers' and educators' hopes for how the (Common Core) tin can support improvements in students' college and career readiness, and it provides early on show about both similarities and disconnects betwixt those expectations and implementation activities in loftier schools and districts," according to the report.

Researchers conducted extensive interviews with 91 teachers, policymakers, leaders from county offices of education, principals and other administrators as role of the study. Researchers asked participants nearly their expectations for the Common Core standards and their experiences so far implementing the curriculum. Researchers also asked during the face up-to-face up interviews about schools' current higher and career readiness initiatives, professional development opportunities, their employ of technology equally a tool to measure student learning and engagement, and other similar topics.

Here are the respondents' key expectations for the Common Cadre:

  • The curriculum will help students prepare for college and careers past offer a strong foundation in core subject areas.
  • New approaches to pedagogy and learning will raise critical thinking and other skills that improve learning.
  • Teachers will amend integrate bookish content into technical teaching courses.
  • The senior yr of loftier schoolhouse will become more focused on higher and career readiness for a larger proportion of students.
  • Thousand-12 and postsecondary systems will collaborate more.
  • Teachers will use new technologies to better engage students in learning.

"This research outlines policymakers' and educators' hopes for how the (Common Cadre) can support improvements in students' college and career readiness," co-ordinate to the EdInsights study.

The written report likewise provided recommendations to assistance better the Common Core's implementation based on participants' concerns well-nigh the general lack of clarity in areas including professional person development, engineering and partnerships with existing career readiness programs.

Hither are some of the recommendations for land educational activity leaders and lawmakers:

  • Clarify what graduating seniors need to know in social club to be prepared for a multifariousness of education options after loftier school.
  • Provide a clearer vision for career readiness, including: What is the definition of career readiness? Does it hateful different things for different students?
  • Clarify how existing state- and arrangement-level higher and career readiness initiatives connect with the Common Cadre, including Career Pathways Trust, the Linked Learning pilot, and the CTE Model Curriculum Standards.
  • Provide districts with data or technical assistance virtually how to assess their teachers' specific professional development needs.
  • Consider providing competitive seed money for projects that utilize technology to address equity gaps.

Andrea Venezia, the written report'southward co-author, said the goal of the study was to highlight and acquire from some of the successes of the Mutual Core post-obit its initial years of implementation.

"We as well wanted to show how we can better Common Core going forward," she said.

Venezia said the written report is likewise aimed at helping the public improve understand how the Common Core is working and changing how students learn in California's schools.

A national poll released Dominicus showed that the bulk of respondents oppose teachers using the Common Core to guide education. Statewide polls earlier this year past Children Now and the Public Policy Constitute of California take found stronger back up for the new curriculum.

Venezia said that much of the opposition to the Common Core often comes from a lack of understanding of the initiative. She hopes the report volition contribute to the conversation of what the Common Core is and why it'southward important in educational activity.

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