Cuomo: 11-person panel will review Common Core rollout
With concerns pouring in from parents, teachers, and students over the implementation of the Common Core Standards initiative in New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced the formation of a panel to review the rollout of the standards within the state.
The Common Core Implementation Panel, which he first proposed during his State of the State address in January, includes both national experts as well as state legislators, parents, educators, and business and community leaders.
After the panels “speedy” review, it will deliver recommendations before the end of the legislative session in June, in an effort to improve what Mr. Cuomo has called a “flawed” implementation.
“The Common Core standards are a critical part of transforming New York’s schools, and the failure to effectively implement them has led to confusion and frustration among students and their families,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I urge the members of this panel to work speedily in bringing forward a set of actionable recommendations to improve the implementation of the Common Core.”
The initiative aims to better prepare students for college and careers by requiring instructors to teach more non-fiction and rigorous math to students at a younger age. It has been adopted by most states across the country.
Since its implementation, school officials across the state have heavily criticized the state Department of Education for pushing the new mandates before local districts were ready for them, among other complaints
The panel is made up of the following members:
− Stanley S. Litow, Vice President, IBM Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs & President, IBM International Foundation (Chair)
− Senator John Flanagan, Senate Education Committee Chair (Senate appointee)
− Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, Assembly Education Committee Chair (Assembly appointee)
− Linda Darling-Hammond, Charles E. Ducommun Professor of Education, Stanford University Graduate School of Education
− Todd Hathaway, Teacher, East Aurora High School (Erie County)
− Alice Jackson-Jolley, Parent (Westchester County)
− Anne Kress, President, Monroe Community College
− Nick Lawrence, Teacher, East Bronx Academy for the Future (NYC)
− Delia Pompa, Senior Vice President of Programs, National Council of La Raza
− Charles Russo, Superintendent, East Moriches UFSD (Long Island)
− Dan Weisberg, EVP & General Counsel, The New Teacher Project
