California math teacher: Common Core adds up

On the rural Hawaiian island of Molokai, the Common Core is helping students prepare for college and careers that may be far from home. For teachers, the standards are fostering greater collaboration.

The Mathematics Design Collaborative (MDC) brings to mathematics teaching and learning high-quality instructional tools and professional support services that play a pivotal role in helping the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation realize its ambitious goal of having 80% of low-income and minority students ready for college by 2025.

Much has been written and debated on the state-led shift toward more rigorous, consistent K-12 education standards commonly known as Common Core. At the same time, that intense focus on the standards has obscured an equally important shift – the adoption of instructional resources aligned to the new standards.