News Brief

04/25/13

'Why Common Core Makes Common Sense'

The Voice of Mini Cassia (ID) (04/25/2013) Roper, Jeff

Jeff Roper, an English teacher at Declo High School in Declo, Idaho, discredits claims by critics that the Common Core State Standards initiative amounts to a federal takeover of local schools, stressing that the standards were created by state education departments, national business leaders, and an assortment of education experts, including teachers and national education reform leaders. He says, "The reason these Common Core standards have been adopted by so many states is because state and local education leaders, business leaders, political leaders, and parents recognize that clear and high education standards are an essential foundation for a good education." Roper underscores that the standards emphasize critical reading and writing and a deep understanding of math principles and processes. "These standards are a breath of fresh air to teachers like me who know that our students are capable of so much more than memorizing information and passing multiple choice tests," he says. "As I move closer to Common Core standards teaching in my classroom, my students are reading, understanding, and responding to a greater variety of literary and cultural sources than they ever did under the old standards." Roper acknowledges that the standards will require every teacher, principal, and school to make changes that will not be easy or quick, but he says they "represent the smartest move in educational reform I've seen in my teaching career."
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