ODYSSEYWARE

Kentucky is a state accustomed to being first; rumor holds that it was the first state to produce the cheeseburger and the first of many states to use Washington as a town name (after our first President). Although the 15th state to be incorporated into the Union, it has traditionally laid claim to the original ideals of the 13 colonies and can trumpet the Kentucky Derby as the standard in horse racing events. It is the oldest in the nation on that count. This week, however, Kentucky also became the first to incorporate the national standards set forth in the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which have slowly come into being since last year’s meeting of the National Governors Association. The standards, while voluntary, have been claimed by many to be the first step toward a uniform educational measure for all states, or at least those that choose to join. Education Week highlights some of the challenges that remain in fully implementing the shift.

Bringing the state’s 47,000 teachers up to speed on the new standards, and helping them translate those ideas into curriculum for the classroom, will take time and money, educators said.

‘Teachers need time to reach agreement on what the standards mean for day-to-day instruction,’ said Ms. Young, who chairs a panel that advises the state education department on curriculum, instruction, and assessment issues.

Good luck to Kentucky as it begins to set the standard for other states seeking to join the Common Core. Because the standards are only in their infancy, much more will need to be learned on how effective they are; however, many educators seem genuinely excited for taking a different approach