Nevada Teacher of the Year Says Common Core Reinvigorates Teaching

Posted Jan. 26, 2015 in High Standards

Caroline Bermudez is chief storyteller at the Charter School Growth Fund and former senior writer at Education Post. Full profile →

Jeff Hinton, a history teacher who was named the 2014 Nevada Teacher of the Year, writes on the blog of Educators for High Standards that Common Core has reinvigorated his history classes by emphasizing complex analysis rather than simply remembering a jumble of facts and figures.

He’s frustrated, though, by the lack of teacher voice in the ongoing debates around Common Core:

Last week Citizens for Sound Academic Standards presented a forum to debate the standards. The “debate,” unfortunately, was little more than two professors, Sandra Stotsky and James Milgram, making spurious attacks against the standards. The highlight of the evening came when Aaron Grossman, a curriculum specialist with the Washoe County School District, gave his articulate and passionate statement in support of the standards. However, Citizens for Sound Academic Standards—led by protests from Stotsky and Milgram—forbade other teachers from giving their opinions.

Photo by US Department of Education, CC-licensed.