U.s. Federal Common Core Standards

The word curriculum can mean something different to different people, even to different teachers who use the term almost daily (Manning & Butcher, 2012). However, it boils down to curriculum being what a student learns, both in terms of core subject content, as well as though social activity and elective/activity courses. However, there has often been a disconnect between different states and districts over what exactly should be in the curriculum for various grades and what is needed to prepare students for life beyond school, as well as providing little basis for comparing the US to other countries. That’s where Common Core State Standards (CCSS) come in. According to Teaching in the Middle School (2012), the Common Core standards were created in an attempt to provide curriculum standards that are “rigorous, internationally benchmarked, and aligned with college and work expectations”. Since its implementation in 2009, 42 US states and the District of Columbia have integrated the standards into their curriculums. (Core Standards, 2015)

Nothing ever remains the same, especially in Texas. We’ve developed a government and politics in order to keep our state steady. However, it does not always seem so easy. Without the government, the state would be in a, high likely, catastrophic state. It will lead to disasters caused by us, and nothing will function properly. This is why it is important to have a government and stick to it’s rules.

Texas is one of the most powerful states in the union. Texas seems to thrive when other states are going under. Maybe the writers of the New Texas Constitution got it right. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.

Throughout the history of education, several “fads” have made their way in and out of the schools. From whole language to phonics to No Child Left Behind, educators have modified their practices to fit with new curriculum and government mandates. Many teachers describe the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as “just another fad.” However, I believe that this is not the case.

The state of Texas has a government that is broken up in a way to appeal to the public. The question of trusting the government is a common thing for some people. There could be many reasons for this but that’s not important. The government is here to keep control and needs to be trusted by the people. To prevent this distrust, the government is broke up into multiple different levels. These levels are made to aid public needs and separate major powers. The Texas legislature is the main level.

The state of Texas was birthed through conflicts over land, which resulted in tensions between Mexico and the Republic of Texas reaching a boiling point. Having declared their independence from Mexico, the Republic of Texas needed to establish some form of structure to be able to run and function as a Government (Newell et al. 40). The Republic of Texas constitution is setup to almost mirror the United States constitution, while having varying differences. In order to keep each branch of government honest, they were separated and needed to work with each other to reach common ground or come to an agreement. The three branches of government each have their own functions to help the

The plural executive branch in Texas limits the Power of the Governor by dividing the responsibilities he has into various elected officials. In fact, these elected officials “do not have to answer to the Governor, nor do they work together as a cabinet in the way that executive officials serve the U.S. President.” (Texas Politics). This creates a difficult environment to work; sometimes those officials do not form part of the same political party, which creates conflict.

Texas might be a small-government state, but it is a proud and stubbornly independent one. With the 84th legislature imposing state will on local policies, politicians of all sorts are unhappy. Regardless, there are arguments both for and against local control, and overall, they have the public’s best interests at heart.

When we start to see how much changed Texas which is as complex and diverse, we realize the qualities that it has. Texas has a Constitution that defines and protects a history of conservative political thought and independent self. It is a place with great variety and diversity of population, millions and millions of people in a big state, big territory, racial origins, different cultures, traditions, ethnic diversity, interests, complex economic activities, extremely significant regional variations but also is a conservative state. Going to the exact point, when we talk about Texas and whose the society, we are talking about the people and the government, political culture, and embracing all that common in the context of people's values, traditions, behaviors marked, and exactly because everything is linked to the policy, which is the separation of powers, which are the legislative, executive, judicial, and checks and balances.

Adopted by forty-two out states in 2010, the Common Core State Standard Initiative strives to provide an educational structure which details what English language arts and mathematics should be taught from kindergarten through twelfth grade. The initiative is the federal government’s attempt to ensure all students who graduate from high school are adequately prepared to enter a two or four year college or the workforce. Despite their intentions, the Common Core has caused much controversy in the education community. The thought behind Common Core is very valid and has the potential to help students, however changes must be made to unrealistic standards and wordy statements. Common Core must first be rewritten so that the language is clear and can be easily understood by the general public. Next ask experts on childhood development and elementary school teachers to review the standards and rewrite standards they see as unneeded or irrelevant as well as unrealistic.

If not every state actively follows Common Core, how can they be certain the lessons are being taught equally? Also, how can they monitor the grades when these are the standards that are supposed to be reached in 90% of all schools in North America? Their standards are intended to be challenging, but not all minds work in the same way. Each student learns differently and has different methods. I feel as though forcing each student to learn the same way is almost more harmful than helpful. Common Core sets a prime example of one of those ideas that seems flawless in theory, but later proves to be almost completely ineffective in

Common Core is built as an infective for education to all schools, but what it is, is a policy that all students learn the same. Common Core has been adopted in forty-three states around the nation. Common Core is designed to get students ready for college and career ready from grades Kindergarten through twelfth grade. “The basic definition of what Common Core is, a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.” (Board)“The college- and career-readiness standards were developed first and then incoporated into the K-12 standards in the final cersion of the Common Core we have today.” (Practices) The construction of Common Core was by seeing which state standards were already the best, using experienced teachers, leading-thinkers, content experts, and also public feedback about their child’s education. Common Core is currently being endorsed by the White House. “Common Core is currently costing the United States eighty billion dollars.” (Board) Common Core was created by state educational chiefs and governors from forty-eight states. Common Core states that it will get students ready for their futures, but has only hurt them by not truly completing the goals set. Common Core is developmentally inappropriate for students because the cost of Common Core, it is pushed by the government for competition between states, and the strong implantation of standardized testing.

The Common Core State Standards are considered to be a high-quality group of academic standards. Before the standards were developed, it seemed as if the progress of the students in the United States was remaining stagnant and that America students were falling behind their international peers. The blame for this setback has fallen on the fact that standards are not consistent and from state-to-state students are required to know different things at different grade levels. As a result students are not graduating with the same set of skills (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2014).

Common Core State Standards is being heard throughout the education world. Many cringe when the words are spoken and many fight to support what the words stand for. Common Core was introduced in 2009 by state leaders. Common Core State Standards were developed to prepare children for the business world or the reality after grade school. “The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy, also known as ELA” (About the Standards, n.d.). The goals for the standards outline what students should know before leaving his or her current grade level. “The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live” (About the Standards, n.d.). This is an ambitious goal, but with much support can be accomplished. According to Common Core State Standards Initiative (n.d.) The Common Core has been adopted by forty-two states already and is accompanied by District of Columbia and Department of Defense Education Activity. Common Core was developed to improve the academics in society’s schools. Academics in the past years have not been successful and the United States has fallen behind international education. “One root cause has been an uneven patchwork of academic standards that vary from state to state and do not agree on what students should know and be able to do at each

The Common Core State Standards are a state attempt to create strong educational standards. The standard are created to ensure that students in the country are learning and grasping the information that are given in the classrooms for them to succeed academically. The Common Core plan included governors and education commissioners form forty-eight states and the District of Columbia. They wanted to make sure the standards are relevant, logical and sequential. For content all subjects must have critical-thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Some positive aspects of this policy is that it prepares our students for a competitive global jobs. It can provide national connections in education. Designed to shape the best standards so that all states will be taking a step ahead in education. These standards had been created after extensive research by professional educators for excellence in education. The CCS focus on what students expectations of learning, and achievements. Educators do not need to worry that the standards will make their jobs look redundant because they are in charge of creating lessons to teach their students the content and skills that the CCS demands. The teachers do not feel that the standards are one-size-fits-all. Some negative aspects of the policy are that is a program created by solely the government. The CCS is a program put together on idyllic situations in education by individuals who have subsidy and students ahead of the learning