Common Core 'Completely Botched,' Union Leader Says

The president of the country's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, said in a letter last week that the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has been "completely botched" in many states.

President Dennis Van Roekel said the NEA doesn't plan to abandon support for the standards but instead seek a "course correction." 

Forty-five states and the District of Columbia have voluntarily adopted the standards, which intend to streamline state curricula through a set of universal specifications so that kids all over the country will be learning the same things.

In the letter, Van Roekel said 70 percent of teachers believe the implementation is going poorly in their schools, and two-thirds said they haven't been asked about implementing them in their classrooms. 

"Imagine that: The very people expected to deliver universal access to high quality standards with high quality instruction have not had the opportunity to share their expertise and advice about how to make CCSS implementation work for all students, educators, and parents," he said in the letter.

Parents across the country have blasted the standards, saying the teachers—not standardized curriculum and benchmarks—know how to best serve local students. 

Van Roekel laid out a seven-point plan to improve implementation of the Common Core, with the first step calling for policymakers to work with educators and gather feedback. You can read his entire letter on the NEA blog. 

Parents, educators, policymakers—how do you feel the Common Core State Standards are being implemented in your town?  Tell us in the comments, or share your opinion by going to the "Conversations" tab on Patch and writing a post. Contact editor Michael Sewall at michael.sewall@patch.com if you have questions about posting.