In America, we have a history of great prosperity and innovation,because we value an "Education of Opportunity" (equal opportunity), based on an individual's freedom and ability to achieve great things. When a child has a solid foundation and can read, write, do math, and understand history, as an adult, that individual is free both to succeed and free to fail. If they do fail, they then have the opportunity to learn from that failure, and then go on to do great things.This book is an inside look at the journey that I myself, and others, have taken to understand the radical education reformoccurring in the United States today. I invite you to join us on that journey of understanding what is happening in our community schools- public, private, and charter- via 21st Century Learning. We will also explore concepts such as College and Career Ready, and the Common Core progressiveteaching strategies.

A parent's guide to understanding the Common Core educational standards Designed to ensure a similar level of job and college preparedness for students from all backgrounds and regions, the Common Core standards have been adopted in 45 states from coast to coast. These new common standards are designed to bring many diverse state standards into alignment with each other in math and English to create a set of national educational standards. Common Core Standards For Parents For Dummies explains this new set of standards, what it means for students, and how parents can get their children prepared for the school year. Explains what changes to expect in the classroom Includes a grade-by-grade explanation of the new math and English standards Provides tips and exercises for helping students succeed For parents who want to help their kids excel at school, Common Core Standards For Parents For Dummies is a handy, straightforward guide that explains everything they need to know.

There is plenty of buzz out there about common core and what it means for children in public schools. Some parents are very impressed with it and love the idea. Others aren't sure about it because they have heard complaints and that it confuses kids. Some educators really embrace it and others don't like the idea of change. They also worry that it means they have to change their teaching methods. Yet there are plenty of benefits involved with the common core curriculum. As you learn about it, you will be more comfortable with what your child will be learning about. In the past, a big problem with schools is that they all did things differently. A child going to school in one region would learn different things than others. Yet they all took the same standardized tests. A student that moved due to family circumstances may find they are in a school where they are very far behind or where they are too far ahead. With educational standards in place, educators can make sure that students are exposed to the skills and the information they need to build on from one grade to the next. Parents can feel good knowing that their child is going to get a good education no matter where they have and which public school they attend. Inside this Book, you are about to learn the following information: What is Common Core?, Why is Common Core so Popular Now?, Be Prepared for Changes in the Classroom, Math Standards, English Standards, Evaluating the Success of a Child with Common Core, Working with your Child's School and so much more...

If you care about the education of a child, you need this book. Comprehensive and easy to use, it will inform, empower, and encourage you. Just as William J. Bennett's The Book of Virtues has helped millions of Americans teach young people about character, The Educated Child delivers what you need to take control. With coauthors Chester E. Finn, Jr., and John T. E. Cribb, Jr., former Secretary of Education Bennett provides the indispensable guide. Championing a clear "back-to-basics" curriculum that will resonate with parents and teachers tired of fads and jargon, The Educated Child supplies an educational road map from earliest childhood to the threshold of high school. It gives parents hundreds of practical suggestions for helping each child succeed while showing what to look for in a good school and what to watch out for in a weak one. The Educated Child places you squarely at the center of your young one's academic career and takes a no-nonsense view of your responsibilities. It empowers you as mothers and fathers, enabling you to reclaim what has been appropriated by "experts" and the education establishment. It out-lines questions you will want to ask, then explains the answers -- or non-answers -- you will be given. No longer will you feel powerless before the education "system." The tools and advice in this guide put the power where it belongs -- in the hands of those who know and love their children best. Using excerpts from E. D. Hirsch's Core Knowledge Sequence, The Educated Child sets forth a state-of-the art curriculum from kindergarten through eighth grade that you can use to monitor what is and isn't being taught in your school. It outlines how you can help teachers ensure that your child masters the most important skills and knowledge. It takes on today's education controversies from phonics to school choice, from outcomes-based education to teaching values, from the education of gifted children to the needs of the disabled. Because much of a youngster's education takes place outside the school, The Educated Child also distills the essential information you need to prepare children for kindergarten and explains to the parents of older students how to deal with such challenges as television, drugs, and sex. If you seek high standards and solid, time-tested content for the child you care so much about, if you want the unvarnished truth about what parents and schools must do, The Educated Child is the one book you need on your shelf.

Step-by-step, schools from the elementary through high school levels are making the transition to 21st-century learning. Some have crossed the threshold almost entirely. In today's progressive classrooms, yesterday's rows of quiet listeners have given way to small groups of active learners, thoroughly engaged in discussions and explorations. And where's the teacher? Instead of standing front and center to deliver instruction, he or she is apt to be on the move, observing, asking questions, and guiding students to make their own sense of the world. Even the classroom walls have expanded, with technologies connecting students to the wider global community. In many schools, the Internet has opened access to a vast world of information, and students are learning critical-thinking skills to filter out the noise and decide which sources are reliable, which information to trust. Kids now create and share their own content too. This means students need to master new technologies and also learn to navigate online communities safely and responsibly. This guide is intended to bring more parents into the conversation about improving education. Readers will get a glimpse of outstanding online resources and projects, sorted by grade levels, and a list of tips to help bring 21st-century skills home. The guide also lists organizations that offer more in-depth information about project-based learning, social and emotional learning, and other strategies to improve education.

Take the mystery out of Common Core ELA! Designed to be a set of national educational standards, the Common Core has been adopted by 45 states across the nation. But if you're accustomed to traditional English courses, you may be having a hard time understanding what your kids are bringing home from school--and why. With easy-to-understand examples, comprehension tips, and practice exercises, this complete guide help you understand: The reasoning behind the Common Core English Language Arts standards What your child will be learning at each grade level The types of books and passages your child will be reading The new requirements on nonfiction texts and the rationale behind them The focus on finding evidence and formulating arguments The Everything Parent's Guide to Common Core ELA: Grades K–5 will give you the confidence you need to help your children meet the new ELA expectations for their grade level and excel at school.

The primary purpose of this book is to inform parents of the true nature of the current educational climate, of their rights within the system, and to empower them to opt out of the Common Core assessment process. This book provides parents with a historical perspective on the evolution of the Common Core initiative and the high stakes testing environment. It describes in detail reasons why parents should be extremely fearful of the impact that Race to the Top and Common Core are having on their children's future. The text cites both the letter of law and legal precedence for this claim via the US Constitution, federal law, and rulings of the US Supreme Court. Further, it provides step-by-step directions for parents wishing to have their children opt out of (or refuse participation in) the Common Core testing program. It equips parents with the tools to meet resistance at all levels with relevant documents, citations to specific educational laws, researched-based facts, and insights into expected outcomes due to the Common Core. Straw arguments are exposed and coherent rebuttals are provided to dispel the false assertions of those who support the federal appropriation of American education. Further, the final chapter provides guidelines for community organizing around this issue, as well as material support for parents and community members wishing to take action.