Successful Common Core Implementation Starts with Teacher Collaboration

In a new Education Week commentary by Vicki Phillips, director of education, College Ready at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Robert L. Hughes, president of New Visions for Public Schools, the authors discuss the critical and “essential” role that teachers play to successfully implement the Common Core State Standards and new ways to foster greater teacher collaboration.  According to Phillips and Hughes, “providing teachers with real training and templates, not scripts and worksheets, and meaningful opportunities to work together to implement strategies that will improve student learning, are critical components of any strategy to implement the Common Core.” Through the Literacy Design Collaborative and the Mathematics Design Collaborative educators from traditional public schools, public charter schools, curriculum experts, and others are working together to develop Common Core instructional tools. For an example of the work underway in New York City, read more about the collaboration efforts here.