Date of Award

Spring 2016

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Major

Political Science

First Advisor

Stefanie Chambers

Abstract

In 2010, the Common Core State Standards were introduced to the nation as a set of voluntary education standards. Since then, 42 states and the District of Columbia have voluntarily adopted these standards. Scholarship shows that many educational experts, parents, and politicians have voiced their opinions on the Common Core. However, there is little research on the opinions of teachers. As teachers are the ones implementing and teaching the Common Core, my research study focuses on how six educators in Rhode Island have embraced the Common Core in their classrooms. My research has found that teachers generally like the new standards as they encourage critical thinking, allow for collaboration between teachers across the country, and are more rigorous than previous state standards. However, teachers are frustrated by the continual changes to standards, as they have had to re-write curricula to new standards multiple times in the last twenty years, they generally dislike online testing, and are often frustrated by the lack of specialization in the standards for English Language learners and students with disabilities. In this thesis I will explore how we came to adopt these standards, how teachers view them, and how students have faired since the adoption.

Comments

Senior thesis completed at Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.

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