There has been much discussion lately about the Common Core standards and their effect on education in Massachusetts. My knowledge comes from being an educator for more than 40 years, along with also having served as Massachusetts Education Commissioner. I’ve seen the benefits of learning based on Common Core standards, which actually improved upon prior standards, helping our students and teachers build the tools for stronger writing and more strategic mathematical skills.
The April 18 New Boston Post article “To bring back U.S. history, first repeal Common Core” is filled with many misconceptions and much misinformation about what Common Core in Massachusetts actually does. One very important thing to note is that the Commonwealth’s State Board of Education unanimously adopted the most recent Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks, which include the Common Core state standards. Equally as important to note is that educators across Massachusetts helped adapt them for Massachusetts and very strongly support them.
For the past five years, school districts have invested hundreds of millions of dollars on curriculum and teacher professional development and K-12 educators have invested millions of hours learning, developing and refining lesson plans. The standards we use based on Common Core have been an integral part in helping our schools succeed and leveling the landscape of education for students across the state.
The fact is, teaching based on the Common Core educational standards does not apply to how our students are taught history. Common Core’s standards focus on teaching our students better math and English-learning skills and helping them succeed at the next level.
The claim that Common Core prevents schools from teaching social studies or stops our students from learning about American history could not be farther from the truth. Since the advent of the education reform movement curriculum frameworks for all content areas, including U.S. History, have been in place. These have been most beneficial to teachers and students and have focused on rigor and quality.
Teachings based on Common Core standards do not stop any local school or school board from deciding what content to teach. Each state in the country, both those that use Common Core and those that do not, establish their own standards on how to teach history. The framework for what Massachusetts uses to teach history education can be found here. Again, the facts are that the educational standards based on Common Core do not hinder any student’s learning of American history. In fact, it will enhance the student learning experience.
By most standards the Massachusetts education system is the best in the nation and has held that position for a very long time. We have actually made great progress within our schools and continue to move forward towards our goals. We will continue that momentum and do what needs to be done to ensure continued success and to remain competitive. Much of that is due to the success of students and teachers learning from standards based on the Common Core and keeping our standards very high. Our current education system is only getting better and our current standards are good for Massachusetts. There is no need to revert back to the old way of learning.
(Courtesy of Wikipedia) 
