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Iowa revamps schools with Common Core State Standards

TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2011 15:30 PM



Recently, officials from Iowa's public schools decided that "good enough for Iowa isn't good enough anymore," Jo Ellen Latham, director of instruction for the Des Moines Independent School District, told The Washington Independent.

Latham said that students now need to be prepared to compete in a global workforce, which means gaining a stronger understanding of basic skills while they are in school. In order to ensure that they are doing so, Iowa is using the Common Core State Standards for their English language arts and mathematics curriculum. Latham told the media outlet that these new standards will give Iowa students "an edge."

The Iowa State Board of Education voted to adopt the Common Core State Standards in July 2010. Officials from the board expect teachers and administrations to use this curriculum for math and English by 2014, according to the news outlet.

Due to the belief that a national curriculum will ensure that all students are up to par with those in other regions, a total of 49 states and territories have adopted the Common Core State Standards so far, according to The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers.


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