1. ​The debate over Common Core
The core issue in education this brand new school year revolves around something called the
Common Core. It's a prescription for teaching and grading students that's provoked an uncommonly
spirited debate around the country. Our Cover Story is reported by Jan Crawford:
It's that familiar time again: Back to school. But something unfamiliar is happening in this fifth grade
Florida classroom. It's a whole new approach to education.
"Who is ready to stand up as a team and be a lawyer, and be a group of lawyers, and defend their
case with this?" asked the teacher.
"Very often, the strategy is to have students talk about things with other students in the classroom;
that's what happens in real life," said MaryEllen Elia, the superintendent of the Hillsborough County
School District in Tampa, where K-12 learning is being transformed by a new set of high academic
standards called the Common Core.
"The Common Core raises the bar for students' performance," Elia said. "We have to challenge our
students in ways that have them interact more actively in learning."
Florida is one of 45 states and Washington, D.C., that initially adopted the Common Core, which
outlines what students must know at every grade level.
Launched by state officials, the Core was backed by the federal government, offering grant money to
states signing on.
Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told Crawford that Common Core focuses on critical thinking
skills, "and making sure that young people graduating from high school are truly prepared to be
successful in college."
Secretary Duncan was visiting Nashville, Tenn., during a seven-city, back-to-schoolbus tour,
spreading the word about education reform.
"How can our students fulfill their tremendous academic and social potential if we don't have high
expectations?" Duncan said at a town hall meeting.
Crawford asked, "Why the need for reform of America's schools?"