Discussion Questions

1. What does it mean when the author states, “all eyes, public, political, parental and even those of your peers, are focused on student learning as something that can be viewed as a direct result of teacher performance?”

2. Is it realistic to assume the Common Core Standards can be implemented in all districts and schools in the U.S.?  What do you think can be gained and/or lost from this?

3. Who do you see as having been left out of Franklin and Jefferson’s curricular proposals and why?

4. Discuss what similarities or trends emerge as you look at the National Standards Concepts? 

5. How do you see the Common Core Standards fitting into your instructional planning and implementation practices?

6. Why do you see differing teacher licensure requirements as being common among the states?

7. What are your thoughts on the validity of the increase in testing?

8. How do you see teachers balancing all the standards?  What are your thoughts on all of these standards?

9. In the 21st century, is curriculum, as described by McNeil (2003), still “the teacher’s initiative?”

10. How do you see teacher accountability impacting your professional practice?

11. When new teachers are hired, how do they receive the standards and benchmarks that they will be using to guide instruction for the year?

12. Should the concept of accountability be scary for a first year teacher? Why or why not? What type of assistance do new teachers receive throughout the year to help them if they are struggling with student learning gains?

13. With the national spotlight on Common Core standards, what is the backlash from parents, teachers, and the news media about? Why are these standards so controversial? Why are states repealing the standards?

14. When teachers talk about using standards and benchmarks for curriculum mapping, what are they talking about? How is long-range planning effective for both new and veteran teachers?

15. What is the significance of students knowing which standard or benchmark they are learning in a lesson? Why do teachers post them on the boards in their rooms and discuss them with students?

16. Why do colleges of education and universities need standards and accrediting teams to evaluate their programs? What good does this provide the university’s graduates?

17. After you earn your bachelor’s degree and state teaching certification, what types of professional growth will you engage in as a novice teacher? Does it bother you that the learning never ends or do you feel challenged by the task?

18. Why is the practice of comparing educational assessment scores between countries not a good idea? Are the educational systems in those countries comparable if they are valued differently by the cultures in those countries? Are there inherent biases in those comparisons?

19. Teachers of long ago would open up the textbook that the district provided and start teaching with chapter one. They would move chapter by chapter through the entire text and hope that they “covered” all the material before the year ended. Why is this not a good idea? Why is the textbook not the curriculum?

20. What will you do in your classroom to make the curriculum come alive for your students? Are you willing to make a fool of yourself in an effort to motivate your future students to learn material that may otherwise not seem engaging?

21. What are your views on tying a teacher’s test scores to his/her evaluation, and ultimately paying those teachers with higher scores a higher wage than teachers with lower scores? Is there a way to make this type of merit pay system fair for all teachers?