The Common Core State Standards have influenced curriculum for primary grades across the country, requiring more sophisticated responses to written text from children than ever before. Yet readiness for kindergarten is still often defined in terms of constrained print-related skills. As early as preschool, children can be introduced to more…

Twenty years ago when the author was student teaching, he quickly learned what geometry teachers and researchers (e.g., Senk 1985) have long known: High school geometry students struggle with proof. Throughout his career, he has tried to create instructional materials to make proof more accessible to his students. From field-testing materials with…

The purpose of this study was to determine if elementary English language arts (ELA) teachers in a northern New Jersey school district perceived they were receiving quality professional development that enabled them to shift their instructional methodologies to address the learning outcomes identified by the Common Core State Standards and ensure…

The Common Core State Standards for Mathematics (CCSS-M) aim to engage students in complex mathematical practices, including modeling, reasoning, and argumentation. Currently, little is known about how teachers' daily instruction supports these practices. This study draws upon data from daily logs completed by third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade…

The year students take Algebra I historically determines how far they progress in secondary mathematics, creating complex equity issues around access to this course. By examining a case study of one large, urban school district adjusting to the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CCSS-M), we demonstrate how district leaders' interactions,…

Due to the Common Core State Standards, close reading is becoming a common practice in today's elementary and middle school classrooms. Qualitative content analysis of journal publications was used to determine the (a) prevalence of close reading in the existing literature, (b) knowledge about close reading from the research literature, (c) themes…

In this practical guide, literacy experts show teachers how to use project-based inquiry to build students' discipline-specific skills and knowledge in grades 6-12. The authors present a five-phase framework that incorporates their professional development experience working with over 3,000 teachers. By making the intuitive practices of the…

Learning how to formulate, comprehend, and evaluate arguments is an essential part of helping students develop the ability to make better, more reasonable judgments. The Common Core identified argumentation as a fundamental life skill that is broadly important for the literate person. According to the authors, having students engage in an inquiry…

The Common Core State Standards have placed more emphasis on the close reading of all texts, and have made a point of increasing the use of nonfiction in secondary English classrooms. In this article, the author describes an approach for implementing close reading of literary nonfiction. The approach comes from a small-scale classroom-based…

The purpose of this study was to examine the process through which high school mathematics teachers direct their own learning and professional growth. Improving our understanding of the process of self-directed learning has significance in the field of mathematics education due to the degree to which the Common Core State Standards movement has…

In this article, the authors provide a menu of nine discussion frameworks from which teachers can choose to engage students in collaborative conversations about text in order to foster reading comprehension and address the Common Core State Standards. Some of the frameworks identified in this article are better suited to instructional goals that…

The Common Core State Standards bring the importance of connecting texts to the forefront by sharing that students must be able to "analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches authors take" (National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council…

Long before the release of the Common Core State Standards (CCSSI 2010), the Mathematical Tug-of-War was engaging students in the type of reasoning and problem solving described by the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMP). In this updated version of a Marilyn Burns task, students use algebraic reasoning to determine the outcome of a contest…

Decades of research have shown how play is a major vehicle for young children's development and learning. However, since the 1990's with greater emphasis on higher academic standards and accountability in the U.S. educational system, kindergarten teachers felt pressured to reduce or eliminate play for more didactic instruction and mandated…

While California Common Core State Standards in Mathematics (CA CCSSM) call for rigorous mathematics for all students, students with disabilities have not been provided equal access to instruction that meets these standards. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a research-based framework to develop strategic, expert learners within classroom…