Something in Common
The Common Core Standards and the Next Chapter in American Education
Robert Rothman, foreword by Governor James B. Hunt, Jr.
ebook
Pub. Date: October 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-451-3
paper, 232 Pages
Pub. Date: October 2011
ISBN-13: 978-1-61250-107-9
Price: $30.00
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Look Inside the Book
Something in Common is the first book to provide a detailed look at the groundbreaking Common Core State Standards and their potential to transform American education.
This book tells the story of the unfolding political drama around the making of the Common Core State Standards for math and English language arts, which were adopted by 43 states and the District of Columbia over a six-month period in 2010, after decades of similar proposals had gone down in flames.
As a senior fellow at the major organization promoting the Common Core standards, education writer Bob Rothman gives the reader a bird’s eye view of this unfolding drama and brings the major players to life with lively anecdotes and behind-the-scenes details. He describes the developments leading up to the historic agreement and compares them to earlier efforts. He also explains the content of the standards in depth, describes steps being taken to implement them, and examines how the assessment consortia plan to measure student performance against the new standards.
The book is a must-have reference work for researchers, practitioners, school leaders, policy makers, and others interested in contemporary education policy and reform.
Praise
Bob Rothman has written a thorough, detailed policy and political history of the standards movement, beginning with its origins and following right up to its apogee in the Common Core standards and then through to the early stages of national assessment development. More than a history, though, this book provides thoughtful analysis, appropriate cautions, and some well-considered advice on how this new era of standards may shape the future of U.S. public education.
— Paul Reville, secretary of education, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
In Rothman’s clear-eyed telling, the decades-long history of national standards in American public education is a compelling narrative filled with characters, philosophical debates, and insightful observations. We learn about why previous chapters in the standards movement did not produce the hoped-for gains and the hard work that must be done if the national Common Core standards are to guide classroom instruction and deepen student learning. Ultimately, Rothman is cautiously optimistic that, this time, standards will make a difference.
— Richard Lee Colvin, executive director, Education Sector
Something in Common is a comprehensive and timely story of the background and development of Common Core standards in America. I highly recommend this as a must-read for educators and others who want to develop a very good understanding of the new ‘common core,’ what is necessary for successful implementation, and the potential impact on the future of public education in America.
— Jesse B. Register, superintendent, Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools
The book is a rich resource for readers of all backgrounds because Rothman weaves the historic and academic details in a manner that makes the text readable and relevant for parents, teachers, and researchers.
— Mary Elizabeth Matthews, Journal of Education
The book is a must-have reference work for researchers, practitioners, school leaders, policy makers, and others interested in contemporary education policy and reform.
— Michael Keany, School Leadership 2.0
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About the Author
Robert Rothman is a senior fellow at the Alliance for Excellent Education, a Washington, D.C.–based policy and advocacy organization. Previously, he was a senior editor at the Annenberg Institute for School Reform where he edited the Institute’s quarterly magazine, Voices in Urban Education. He was also a study director at the National Research Council, where he led a committee on testing and assessment in the federal Title I program, which produced the report Testing, Teaching, and Learning (edited with Richard F. Elmore) and a committee on teacher testing. A nationally known education writer and editor, Mr. Rothman has also worked with Achieve and the National Center on Education and the Economy, and was a reporter and editor for Education Week. He has written numerous reports and articles on a wide range of education issues, and he is the editor of City Schools (2007) and author of Measuring Up: Standards, Assessments and School Reform (1995). He is also a frequent contributor to Harvard Education Letter. He has a degree in political science from Yale University.