Nixon signs on to national education standards initiative
AP Photo/L.G. Patterson
The statement from his office released today:
Gov. Jay Nixon today said he is committed to the State of Missouri participating in the development and adoption of a common core of state standards in English language arts and mathematics for elementary and secondary students. The Governor today signed a Memorandum of Agreement as the first step for Missouri to join in the nationwide, state-led process to develop standards based on research and evidence-based learning.
“Missouri has been a leader in developing high standards and assessments, and will continue in this role,” Gov. Nixon wrote in a letter accompanying the signed Memorandum of Agreement and sent to the National Governors Association (NGA) Center for Best Practices. “I look forward to the State of Missouri participating in the development of these standards as we help our students prepare for the challenges of the 21st Century global economy.”
In addition to the Governor’s signature, the Memorandum of Agreement requires the signature of the state’s chief education official for Missouri to be a fully committed participant. Missouri’s Commissioner of Education, Dr. Kent King, passed away in January. Since that time, there has been an interim Commissioner and an ongoing search for a new Commissioner.
“Initially we were going to wait until our State Board of Education had named a new Commissioner of Education before determining whether we would sign on,” the Governor wrote. “I believe, however, that the development of Common Core Standards is important to warrant taking this initial step and signing on in my capacity as Governor.”
The Common Core Standards Initiative is being jointly led by the NGA Center for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School Officers. It builds directly on recent efforts of leading organizations and states that have focused on developing college- and career-ready standards and ensures that these standards can be internationally benchmarked to top-performing countries around the world. The goal is to have a common core of state standards that states can voluntarily adopt. States may choose to include additional standards beyond the common core as long as the common core represents at least 85 percent of the state’s standards in English language arts and mathematics.
Eddie Roth writes about education, social justice, public safety, transportation, legal affairs and historic preservation. He joined the Post-Dispatch editorial page in 2008 after six years as an editorial writer with the Dayton Daily News. But he is not new to St. Louis. Eddie grew up in Webster Groves and south St. Louis County. He's a lawyer who for many years practiced with a downtown firm, and was active in civic affairs, including serving a term on the St. Louis Police Board. He and his wife, Jeanne, and their three daughters, Emily, Julia and Alice, live in the Shaw Neighborhood.
When it comes to community organizing, he endorses Quentin Crisp's advice: Rather than keeping up with the Joneses, it's better to pull them down to your level. 
When I think back on content of standardized test and curriculum content, I am amazed at the lower overall acceptance of passing grades as well as the automatic grade advancement by age and not achievement. If the national standards are set high so the children can grow to be competitive in the world economy, having the real life and technical skills to be adaptive, great! If they are set low, the program will fail and the State will fail out children.
If the State is prepared to hold back any child not capable of meeting the higher standard until they are able to achieve, it is the only way such a national program could work.
If the state is prepared to enforce accurate and uniform reporting and grading systems the system might have a chance.
Perhaps to be competitive, the State should subscribe to several of the European or Asian standards. These children regularly outperform American students. Following the American national standards may only be a formula to diaadvantage our childrens future.