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Number 20
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Wednesday
14, 2014
Established
1970
Established
in in 1970
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Committed to Cultural Diversity
Common Core Rollout
Schools
implementing new
standards, tests
D onovan M. S mith
T he P ortland O bserver
by
Improved academic standards and higher
achieving students are primary goals behind
a new learning system that has been adopted
in Oregon, Washington, and 43 other states.
Called Common Core State Standards, the
uniformity of the curriculum means that no
matter your zip code, if you’re a pupil in the
public school system, you will have the same
expectations for learning, period.
Portland Public Schools is rolling out
Common Core for all grades. It includes mak
ing changes in curriculum to “ensure college
and career readiness at the end of high
school.”
The transition comes as schools in Or
egon work to boost their graduation rates.
According to the U.S. Department of Educa
tion, the state had the fourth worst high
school graduation rate in the nation with just
68 percent of pupil earning their diplomas in
2011. That same report, released this year,
shows Oregon as having the worst gradua-
tion rate for whites and the third worst for
black students in the country.
A uniform curriculum has both critics and
supporters on all sides of the political spec
trum. The Oregon G.O.P. took an official
stand against the state’s adoption of Com
mon Core, calling it big government and “one
size fits all.” But the National Urban League,
representing students of color and other
disadvantaged populations across the coun
try, says the standards are needed for stu
dents to succeed and compete in the global
economy.
continued
on page 10