They’re Good for the State

The Boston Globe, April 18, 2010

Massachusetts is participating in the national common core standards initiative and people who have shown little interest in academic standards are rushing to condemn the process.

During my time as commissioner of education in Massachusetts, I oversaw the state’s curriculum frameworks in all major subjects, and I strongly support the common core standards.

The current debate reminds me of the “math wars’’ we fought in Massachusetts when I first recommended the adoption of statewide math standards. The problem with that debate was that it had nothing to do with math. Opponents argued about process, challenged the right of the state to impose standards, and voiced their fears that districts, schools, and individual students would eventually be held accountable for meeting the standards. The same thing is happening now.

The Common Core Standards Initiative is an effort by two national organizations – the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governor’s Association – to develop standards that will guide what all students need to learn in English and math. They are drawing upon the standards developed by the highest performing states, including Massachusetts, and getting input from hundreds of K-12 educators, higher education faculty, and experts from state educational agencies, as well as think tanks, business organizations, and others. These standards will be voluntary and promise to represent a clear improvement over the mediocre standards many states currently follow.

Massachusetts’ current standards are strong, nationally recognized, and have played a major role in the academic success of our students over the past decade. That said, it is too early to assume that adopting the common core standards would mean backing away from the academic rigor that has become the norm in the Massachusetts public schools. We have seen great improvement in each new draft and anticipate that the final product will at least meet — if not exceed — our current standards.

To waste time trying to decide what kids need to learn keeps us from confronting the real crisis in education today. We do not hold our kids to high enough standards of conduct, work ethic, and exploration of real learning. There is real work to do in preparing and supporting teachers and principals so they can support and motivate their students. The best educators are the ones who take whatever academic goals they are provided and use their minds and hearts to create engaging, productive classrooms where every student can learn.

Massachusetts will benefit from these common standards, and their rollout will end the injustice that some children face in schools that follow standards that are much lower and less challenging. Their adoption will set the basis for a strong common assessment that will allow us to compare our progress against other states and learn — state by state, city by city, and school by school — those areas in which we need to improve.

There is really no downside to participating in this process. We have not committed to adopting the new standards, and should not until we can ensure that they do not represent a decline in rigor. In the meantime, failing to support the effort and not providing counsel on content as they are developed would be parochial and selfish.

I get a kick out of how the same people who argued against the development of state standards now like to brag about the success our students are having on national and international assessments. We clearly did something right in Massachusetts, and the nation can benefit from our experience. It’s time to put this useless debate aside and get on with the real work.

David P. Driscoll is the former Massachusetts commissioner of education.