As the implementation of Common Core education standards spreads to states across the nation, many parents have questions about how their children are faring. Dawn Tyler, an educator in New Jersey who recently sat down with the National Urban League and NewsOne to share her Common Core story, has advice for those parents: “Parents should know the [Common Core] standards for themselves.”
She added, “In knowing the standards, parents will be able to use the vocabulary to ask the teacher, ‘What do I need to do, what does my child need to do, and then what are the next steps?’”
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Tyler continued, “Most school districts are using different assessment systems that break down the standards and show in their reports exactly where their children are in their respective grade levels. Not many parents know that those reports exist,” she said, but “teachers and administrators get them all the time.”
Once you have that information, Tyler said, “Now [you] can figure out the next steps” to get that child the help he or she needs.
After the interview with Tyler, a representative of the National Urban League added that parents should be encouraged to ask about the curriculum and strategies that their child’s teachers are using in their classroom, how teachers will help their children and how parents can support their child’s success at home. As a part of regular communication with teachers, parents should ask to see the reports and to schedule a conversation that allows the parent to fully understand their child’s progress, achievement and any areas where their child might be struggling.
See what else Tyler advised parents to do, in the video above.
For more information about Common Core Standards visit PutOurChildren1st.org.
