Back to school – and new common standards?

When we insist on the same educational attainment from kids who grow up in our poorest communities as from their peers in suburbs like Greenwich, Conn., Highland Park, Texas, and Winnetka, Ill., we usher in the New American Dream.

Consider the impact of raising scores or increasing the proportion of US citizens with college degrees. A Stanford University study projected that an average increase of 5 percent in PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores would lead to a gain of nearly $1 trillion annually in the US economy. Significant increases in college attainment would have a similar economic impact.

“We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to get this right – to adopt the common core in all of America’s schools,” says Bob Corcoran, president and chairman of the GE Foundation, which has a strong interest in the core standards.

Let’s not miss the moment. The common core has been adopted at the macro level by chief school officers, governors, and other legislators. We all can play a role in making sure the standards are implemented at the local level. Here’s what you can do:

1. Learn about the common core standards. Go online. Follow what’s happening.

2. Create some buzz in your community. Tell your school board, teachers, and neighbors how the common core can help our children compete with their global peers. 

3. Ask your school leaders to offer a forum – online or in-person – on the common core so that you and your community learn where your district is with the standards.

As the leader of a nonprofit that works with 20,000 low-income students in 24 states – almost every one of whom will go to college, I am committed to making sure that our children, their families and teachers are aware of the common core movement. It can have a profound impact on them, their schools, and their communities.

This New American Dream requires the support of every one of us.

Rick Dalton is the president and CEO of College For Every Student, a national nonprofit that helps underserved students take steps toward college success.

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