I recently heard a superintendent lay out her argument on why the Common Core standards are anti-Christian. On national radio. Religious or not, I think everyone should take a moment to educate themselves on the inevitable and long overdue shift in curriculum. Sorry – no Sparknotes, but there’s a movie that summarizes the book:

Three-Minute Video Explaining the Common Core State Standards from CGCS Video Maker on Vimeo.

All sorts of misconceptions are popping up around the transition, so much so that there’s now a section on the Common Core website called “Myths vs. Facts”. Most of the more creative concerns (like that of our beloved superintendent above) come from the enduring fear of change in education while others are more legitimate. The switch will require a major overhaul in the way teachers are trained, the materials they use, and the way they’re held accountable. A huge undertaking, but these are all areas that have not been keeping pace with advancements in education research, student interests, and technology.

This is the perfect opportunity to redesign the system we constantly criticize. There will be growing pains in the failures and challenges along the way, but if we can modernize teaching and learning to reflect the climate of innovation apparent in other industries we might see more students graduating with the skills and knowledge required of an increasingly dynamic economy.