Something in Common—The Common Core Standards and the Next Chapter in American Education

Rothman (Alliance for Excellent Education) is decidedly in favor of Common Core Standards. In this book, he offers a historical context for national standards over the past 20 years, explains why previous standards have failed to lead to improvements, and examines the development of state standards in the wake of the collapse of federal efforts. He outlines the development of the Common Core State Standards initiative and the state adoption process, and describes early steps taken by states to implement the Standards. He explains the content of the Standards and what is expected of students, and shows how student performance will be measured against the Standards by the assessment consortia. The book includes about 15 pages of appendices with annotated websites and contacts for work teams, feedback groups, and members of the Common Core State Standards validation committee. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)