Keep the conversation going on education reform
Published 4:32 pm, Thursday, December 26, 2013
Teachers play an extremely important role in our children's lives. From kindergarten through high school and beyond, they are tasked with providing vital knowledge and skills to help students become successful in higher education and professional careers. As someone who guides the teaching of our next generation of leaders, I am a strong supporter of effective education methods that provide structure and resources for instructors and challenge students to reach higher.
Although the Common Core State Standards have generated some partisan disagreement, they present school teachers and leaders an opportunity to change education. The standards provide guidelines that incorporate international benchmarks and bring our students onto a level playing field with the rest of the world. Concentrating on core subjects, such as math and reading, these new standards define learning objectives to keep students on track as they progress though more challenging material.
Among the most widely discussed issues in education today is the level of college and career readiness high school seniors exhibit. The Hechinger Report, released earlier this year, suggested roughly half of the nation's high school graduates weren't ready for college-level courses. That number is even lower in many states. In New York, for example, the state Education Department reports 37 percent of high school grads are college-ready, while the ACT College and Career Readiness report said 60 percent of New Jersey's high school graduates are at risk of struggling in college.
These are just a few of the many data points demonstrating the growing need for solid education reform, such as the Common Core. While rejuvenating our educational standards will not be a total "fix" for the ongoing struggle to prepare our high school students for college, it's a positive move in the right direction.
To ensure a high-quality K-12 education system, educators must be provided the building blocks necessary to teach effectively. I recognize that's easier said than done. Meeting that goal requires support programs and resources that can enrich knowledge, as well as revitalized strategies that we, as educators, can use in the classroom every day.
Cambridge Global Perspectives is an example of one program that provides the tools we need to effectively prepare our students for higher education. During a recent event at Columbia University, Cambridge International Examinations offered free workshops for school leaders, highlighting classroom techniques and assessment methods to help students hone the critical research, argument, and communication skills college-level courses demand.
Keeping the conversation going on education reform is one of the best ways to raise awareness about the struggles we, as educators, and our students face. Change won't happen overnight; we must push for it.
By bringing the debate on education reform to the forefront and refusing to allow partisan politics to overshadow the importance of an effective educational system, we stay focused on what matters most. As I see it, any event or program that encourages continued growth and learning is a good investment in our students...and in our future.