On Sunday I finished Pathways to the Common Core: Accelerating Achievement by Lucy Calkins, Mary Ehrenworth, and Christopher Lehman. It is amazing! I would highly recommend it as a starting point for deeply understanding the underlying values behind the standards as well as some research-based suggestions for implementing them.
In contrast to some resources out there, one of the most valuable assets to this book is the prevalence of teachers as professionals with knowledge about their schools and students. This is one of many sections from the book that I loved, highlighting teacher knowledge, "Any educator who wants to play a role in shaping what happens in schools, therefore, needs a deep understanding of these standards. That understanding is necessary for anyone wanting to be a co-constructor of the future of instruction and curriculum and, indeed, of public education across America," (p. 1).
Rather than trying to sell a rigid, one-size-fits all implementation, the authors provide experiences for teachers to understand the standards and then consider what would be the best for their schools and students by collaborating together, rather than working in isolation. They also highlight the advantage of gaining a deep knowledge of what the standards do and don't entail in order to critically examine what others market as Common Core aligned implementations or resources.
In the introduction they also provide a nice overview of common statements against the CCSS (reading as curmudgeons) as well as tapping in to what is positive about them (reading as if they were gold). I appreciated the way they set this acknowledging that there are concerns, but then moving into a solution oriented framework for making some positive changes given our current context of education. Embedded in related discussions throughout the book, the authors provide background of where we have been and where we can go with this reform effort if we have sound implementations that rely on teachers as professionals. In my summer reading list, I mentioned that my doctoral program sparked my interest for school reform and cultures of change, especially for authors such as Michael Fullan. The type of professional cultures that Calkins, Ehrenworth, and Lehman advocate align with what I love about the literature in general, including some quotes from Fullan.
One can read the book for personal understanding; however, also embedded is a nice layer of suggestions for leading discussions and experiences among staff in order to have a collective understanding of the standards in order to develop school-wide goals. I especially loved that they referenced many free resources available on the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project site.
Pathways to the Common Core will surely be one of those books that I will read again and again. As I continue to gear up for the school year, thinking about how I will improve my practice with the values of the Common Core in mind, I also want to revisit Supporting Students in a Time of Common Core: English Language Arts Grades 6-8 published by NCTE.
