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Show Notes

• Bradley describes what the Common Core is, and who is developing it. He notes that 47 of 50 U.S. states have adopted the standards.

• Bradley talks about the role of the federal government, which doesn’t formally adopt the Common Core on its own but can affirm and support the standards through funding decisions.

• Bradley and Aurelio discuss three key civil rights concerns that equity assistance centers are looking at as states begin to formally implement the Common Core standards:
  They don’t address interventions for students already performing below grade level.
  They don’t delineate a full range of support for English language learners.
  They don’t provide information on how teachers should teach the standards.

• Bradley says that teachers are “crying for guidance and activities and professional development that will help them to implement the rigor of the [Common Core] standards with fidelity. That’s a difficult challenge, and many teachers find themselves unprepared.”

• Bradley laments that the standards lack culturally relevant curricula that will meet the needs of a diverse student body.

• Bradley recommends that administrators and teachers look more deeply at existing research on reaching students of various populations and consider how this research applies to the Common Core standards. He stresses the importance of engaging families throughout the educational process, and ensuring that teachers are getting professional development training in cultural competence.