Articles on Standards

Getting Ready for Common Standards
(PDF 115KB)
Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D. (biography)

March 2011; American School Board Journal

Many school districts will find that their present curriculum already includes a good deal of the Common Core State Standards. However, most schools also will find at least a few areas in which teachers and administrators need to make substantial changes to be ready for the standards’ implementation and the assessments that will support them.

Here are five essential actions for every school district planning to implement the Common Core.

Common Standards: From What to How – How Common-Core Standards Should Influence Teaching
(PDF 55KB)
Douglas B. Reeves, Ph.D. (biography)

May 12, 2010; Education Week

Will the recently released draft of K-12 standards from the Common Core State Standards Initiative provide a degree of coherence in academic expectations for students, teachers, and education systems that has not previously been available in American education? Or will this effort be one more failed reform, distinguished more by enthusiastic presentation than by successful implementation? The answer depends not merely on the standards documents, but also on the degree to which policymakers and leaders are willing to link the clear intent of the standards to the reality of the classroom.

Getting Ready for National Standards
(PDF 156kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

January 21, 2010; ASCD Express, Volume 5, Issue 8

Whether national standards are an illusion or a reality remains an unsettled matter in the United States.  What is certain is this: the governors and chief state school officers of 47 states have already agreed in principle to accept national reading and mathematics standards.  Moreover, any state competing for the more than $4 billion in Race to the Top funds must demonstrate that its political, educational, and legislative officials support national standards.  For now, the central question for most people is, “What are the national standards, and how do we get ready for them?”

In Education, Standards Aren’t Enough
(PDF 104kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

July 14, 2009; The Hill

There is a resurgence of interest for national academic standards,the common sense notion that at least in fields such as reading and mathematics, students across the land ought to have similar expectations and tests.  After all, the idea of common curriculum and assessments has previously transcended not only state boundaries but national borders.  The Cambridge International Examinations are used in more than 100 nations, and curricula from Canada, Great Britain and the United States are widely used around the world. What could possibly go wrong with national standards?

Point Counterpoint: Take Back the Standards
(PDF 56kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

Ron Brandt
January/February 2003; Leadership

The criticisms of academic standards are well established. Some states have established standards that are too voluminous, too specific, not specific enough, and most of all, linked to the tests that critics love to hate…

Galileo's Dilemma: The Illusion of Scientific Certainty in Educational Research
(PDF 1.85mb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

May 8, 2002; Education Week

As he surveyed the heavens, Galileo made careful observations and challenged the prevailing hypothesis that the earth was the center of the universe.  But this same scientist, so careful in his observations, also came to conclusions about the tides that were, by today’s standards, laughably wrong.  That the scientific method can be both illuminating and wrong, even when practiced by a distinguished researcher, is a cautionary tale for educators, school leaders, and policymakers…

If You Hate Standards, Learn To Love The Bell Curve
(PDF 53kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

June 2001; Education Week

The politically correct blood sport among educational commentators these days is the jeremiad against the evils of academic standards and testing.  High expectations and, even worse, testing to ensure that those expectations have been met is, in the accepted creed of the faculty lounge and parent-teacher- organization meeting, the devil's own instrument.  As everyone knows, one must “teach to the test” and thus engage in low-level “drill and kill” in order for students to succeed on these mindless examinations…

Caught in the Middle
(PDF 215kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

December 2000; American School Board Journal

School board members are caught in the middle of one of the most intense political and personal debates in recent decades: the debate over standards and assessment. The argument is characterized by extremes, with state policymakers uniformly demanding high standards at the same time that increasingly militant teachers are criticizing high-stakes assessments and demanding more autonomy in the classroom…

Standards Are Not Enough: Essential Transformations for School Success
(PDF 56kb)
Dr. Douglas B. Reeves (biography)

December 2000; NASSP Bulletin

This article discusses five transformations necessary to bring standards from theory into reality.  These changes, though difficult to elicit, will have a positive and productive effect when made collaboratively and thoughtfully.  The concept of power standards, a subset of standards that involves thoughtful focus, is proposed to ensure successful educational practice and improved test performance.

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