Core mission for Pa. schools

The 1983 report "A Nation at Risk" warned that "the educational foundations of our society are presently being eroded by a rising tide of mediocrity that threatens our very future as a nation and a people."

Thirty years later, America has become the global leader in education spending, but a global laggard in academic achievement. This painful reality, backed by statistic after statistic, jeopardizes the future of America's economy, national security, and the quality of life future generations will experience.

In response, leaders in states across the country are taking actions to ensure that students can compete internationally. Unfortunately, myths and misinformation are threatening to derail Pennsylvania's progress toward providing a better education for students.

Pennsylvania has spent three years revising its education standards - which define the essential concepts children are expected to learn each year. A third-grade math standard, for example, might expect students to be able to multiply and divide within 100. While standards set the expectation, the curriculum to get there - textbooks, lessons, teaching methods - remains under local control. In the same way, the rules of football require 10 yards for a first down, but the way the team gets there, how long it takes, and how far it goes is up to the leaders on the field.

The need for higher standards is evident. Only one-quarter of today's high school graduates are prepared for college, with $3 billion spent each year to reteach college freshmen what they were supposed to learn in high school. Thirty percent of graduates can't pass the military entrance exam, which focuses on basic reading and math. The skills gap is apparent in middle school, with only one-third of eighth graders performing math and reading at grade level.

So in 2008, the bipartisan organizations that represent every governor and state education chief in the nation started an initiative to turn the tide. Their efforts resulted in the Common Core State Standards - a voluntarily and internationally benchmarked set of academic standards in math and English. The standards, now embraced by 45 states, help ensure that students earn diplomas that are meaningful for employers and colleges.

If assesed faithfully, the standards mean that students are college- or career-ready, not needing remedial work to start college or to start a career. They emphasize critical thinking, problem-solving, and verifying work. Instead of asking students to write an essay about their favorite day, students will be asked to compare excerpts from two research sources to determine where the evidence intersects.

Pennsylvania's experience in adopting these standards has been an example of pragmatic, state-led education reform.

After adopting Common Core in 2010, a committee of kindergarten through university educators spent a year comparing Pennsylvania's standards to the Common Core and made recommended changes. The State Board of Education took these recommendations and created a set of revised standards - the Pennsylvania Core Standards. Over the past few years, local districts and the state have spent significant time, money, and resources to ensure that these standards are properly implemented.

While many concerns surrounding the Common Core are politically fueled alarmism, we should be wary of those who would use this well-intended, state-driven effort for other means.

The most legitimate concerns were detailed by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, which recently urged the board to ensure that the standards exceed the rigor of previous standards, continue to leave districts in control of the means to meet the standards, do not hand over additional control to the federal government, and do not compromise the private information of students.

We must remain vigilant about these concerns, but also committed to creating an internationally competitive education system for students.

Higher standards are not a cure-all for American education. In reality, they are the bare minimum, along with high-quality and reliable tests to evaluate whether students are meeting the standards. If we expect students to compete internationally, the least we can do is define what world-class standards look like.

This nation's future will depend on a highly educated workforce that is prepared to develop the industries and technologies of tomorrow. High-quality schools are not optional - they are essential to maintain our status as a global leader and beacon of prosperity.

Change is not easy, especially when it comes to our schools. But if leaders in states across the country continue down the path of high expectations, we will witness a sea change in America's education system, one that maintains our long tradition of American exceptionalism.