Top Five Challenges to Implementing College- and Career-Readiness Standards, as reported by Teachers

Teachers are the primary implementers of college- and career-readiness standards.

With a large amount of the standards-based reform conversation politically charged, teachers’ voices add a crucial experiential component to the discussion of standards. Thus, when we administered a survey to a representative sample of teachers across three states, our aim was to understand their experience as they work to align their instruction with standards in the classroom. We knew we could help inform conversations and decisions with these insights, and our latest brief addressing the common challenges to implementing college- and career-readiness standards is the first of a series of briefs aimed to do just that.

Teachers’ voices add a crucial experiential component to the discussion of standards.

The path to asking the right questions, understanding experiences, and ultimately supporting teachers is grounded in research. Thus, we are now reflecting on the findings of our Implementation study through new lenses and from different angles to help arm decision makers with helpful research. Through our inquiry, we’ve produced pages of rigorous analysis to understand the unique experience of teachers. Now, we’re distilling these pages into thematic briefs revolving around single, high-impact questions. The series will be addressing topics such as:

1. Common challenges to implementing college- and career-readiness standards in the classroom
2. Helpful resources for aligning instruction to standards
3. Further opportunities for supporting teacher challenges

It is more crucial than ever to understand what is required for effective standards implementation and positive outcomes for all students.

Since 2015, we’ve been serving as an objective resource on the implementation and effects of the full breadth of college- and career-readiness standards. As states embark on implementation of challenging college- and career-readiness standards, including the Common Core State Standards, it is more crucial than ever to understand what is required for effective standards implementation and positive outcomes for all students. In addition to our full-length publications, these briefs will directly support those working on the ground to implement standards-based reform .