Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Gimme Three Steps...

….Gimme three steps, mister, gimme three steps towards the core, standards that is.

As the national debate for common standards among states heats up, one state is already taking a few steps ahead.

REL West at WestEd released a study yesterday reviewing professional teaching standards in six states according to structure, target audience, and the extent to which the standards address the needs and learning styles of students.

“The state has appointed an advisory panel… to ensure that the new standards are consistent with current research, the best understanding of effective teaching practices, and California education policies.” It’s not just a practice in self reflection or an examination of what works. It’s an in-depth investigation of varying insights and opinions involved with developing academic standards in several states.

I hope the leaders of our states will take a hint from the West Coast and look closely at current practices, with an intent to utilize the best research to draft the national standards this fall.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hold up...researching options BEFORE creating policy? Ludicrous!

While it's obviously beneficial to have policies backed by sound research, it will be all for not unless the research California is conducting is not only translated into and through policy but also followed-up on after the fact. That way it ensures best practices are actually being implemented with fidelity.