Hello, I am Lynette Guastaferro, executive director of Teaching Matters. I am pleased to introduce you to Points of Practice, our new periodic magazine. If you are not familiar with us, Teaching Matters is a New York-based nonprofit dedicated to improving teacher effectiveness, primarily in high-need urban schools.
We have launched Points of Practice to share some of our thinking based on 20 years of real world experience we accumulate each day from working in more than half of New York City’s public schools. The magazine is a multimedia effort that provides commentary on current educational issues from our own perspective and those of others. Please let us know if you would like to add your voice as well.
This first issue looks at what it takes to help schools ramp up for the Common Core.
My own views on the challenges of implementation are evolving. Every day, I see dedicated school leaders and classroom teachers who are searching for just that right mix of rigor and reality and the time to intelligently scaffold new skills for students in their schools. I believe strongly that the heavy lift is worth it for students; I am persuaded that continuing to focus on improving student outcomes by raising the bar will ultimately get us to where we need to go. I recognize that a strong implementation of the Common Core requires time for teachers, which they have not been granted. However, I have concerns that slowing down the pace of implementation, as some suggest, could damage the momentum and the progress that is evident in the classrooms that I am so privileged to visit.