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Does your district measure up? How can you help your child at home?
Children today require a solid education and the necessary tools to prosper and thrive in the new economy. The Common Core Standards, presented in 2010, were developed to ensure that children meet expectations, which will allow them to flourish in an evolving world.
What is Common Core?
According to the initiative’s website, the Common Core Standards for Kindergarten–12 are criteria in both language arts and mathematics that represent the necessary knowledge and skills that high school graduates need to succeed in college and eventually in their careers.
Developed by the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) and the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) along with a range of educators, content experts, researchers, national organizations, community groups, and representatives from participating states, the final standards were formed around the following specifications. The Common Core Standards are:
- Aligned with college and work expectations.
- Include rigorous content and application of knowledge through high-order skills.
- Build upon strengths and lessons of current state standards.
- Based on information from top-performing countries, all students are prepared to succeed in our global economy and society.
- Evidence and/or research-based.
The final standards are also a result of feedback from the general public, teachers, parents, business leaders, states, and content area experts.
Does your school district measure up?
For example, in 2010, the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) analyzed how the previous Illinois State standards of 1997 compare to the new Common Core standards in 2010. The Gap Analysis consists of two documents: language arts totaling over 421 pages and another for mathematics totaling 242 pages. The documents were intended to give local districts an idea of developing a curriculum that measures up to the Common Core Standards. A decade later, shifts in academic performance remains a challenge.
There is a significant gap in the current curriculum and the national standards from the documents' length. Already, cumulative years of insufficient schoolwork exist in some states that have supposedly met local standards; however, they have fallen short on a national level, which also contributes to the achievement gap for our youngest learners.
As parents, how can you ensure that your child does not fall behind other children in this nation and the greater global economy?
The Intellectual BookShop can help bridge the gap!
Your child is smart. Allow them to discover their own intellect.
The Intellectual Brand of resources was created to help children read more. Through research, Dr. Dames has focused on independent reading to ensure that students develop background knowledge, strong academic vocabulary, and conceptual understanding to succeed under Common Core Standards. Parents can help their child sharpen intellect and increase academic performance by developing a diverse home library and ensuring that their child's classroom or school has a solid book collection.
Using preferred resources, toys, books, games, and conversations specified and based on your child’s developmental stage, and your child will begin to:
- Read diverse books independently, gaining critical background knowledge.
- Build a stronger academic vocabulary by reading across genre-types.
- Connect the concepts shared between different genre-types while reading independently.
Now, launching the bookstore and publishing future books for parents and educators, the Intellectual Brand of books, learning solutions, and training will provide insight into the educational system and access to resources to assist your child in intellectual growth, preparing your child for a promising future.
The Intellectual Brand of educational resources was developed by Dr. Kathy Dames, who had a vision of a child who no longer struggles to learn and helped her own children overcome significant learning delays. Being an “Intellectual Mommy,” Kathy gathered resources: websites, news clips, books, toys, education tech devices, health tips, nutrition guides, and more to create a small learning environment to help teach her children. As her efforts paid off, Dr. Dames knew she had to share these learning solutions with other parents and educators.
For 20 years, Kathy has worked in all education levels, from kindergarten through college, creating educational and resource development programs that enrich learning abilities. Her extensive knowledge and experience, including homeschooling her three children, makes her uniquely qualified to impact the resource gaps that plague our educational system.
To learn more about the Intellectual Brand and the resources available for you and your child, please email books@intellectualchild.com.
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