This is one in a series of posts examining the Common Core State Standards and the conversation surrounding their impact on teaching and learning.

Two writers I read voraciously contributed really smart pieces to the Common Core conversation this week. And I think they do a great job of capturing the struggle AND the opportunity that lie ahead for these controversial new standards. I hope you’ll read them! The conversation in the comments of Robert’s post is particularly robust, and worth reading too.

And they have me thinking about how, despite the fights, resistance, and debates surrounding many aspects of these standards (and debate IS healthy, right?), perhaps this is an opportunity for positive change if we “keep our eyes on the prize,” as John Thompson wrote.

Robert writes:

I understand and sympathize if beleaguered teachers view Common Core State Standards (CCSS) as just one more damn thing imposed on them from on high, interposed between them and their students. But if they do, that’s a shame. Because far from being just another compliance item on the accountability checklist, the Common Core State Standards, implemented well and thoughtfully, promise to both improve literacy and make teaching a lot more fun and significantly more rewarding.

It’s all about what we do with the standards now — it’s about the all-important “implementation” and it’s in the capable hands of teachers and curriculum designers now. The more we talk about this, the better off we’ll be. Right?

Educators: What challenges and opportunities do you see as you look at the new standards?

(Flickr photo by kwdesigns)