Just days after the nation's governors, state commissioners of
education, school administrators and education experts proposed
draft common core standards for K12 in English and math, major
education groups responded. The National Education Association,
the National School Boards Association and the Alliance for
Excellent Education tout the new standards as promoting 21st-
century skills of collaborating, problem solving and critical
thinking. "This will be a Good Housekeeping seal of approval,"
says Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent
Education. "This will say to businesses that want to relocate or
parents considering to where they might move, 'This district,
this state adheres to the very rigorous standards recognized
across the country.'" On March 10, the state-led effort
coordinated by the National Governors Association (NGA) Center
for Best Practices and the Council of Chief State School
Officers (CCSSO) proposed the two drafts: one for math, which is
71 pages long, and one for English-langu