ABSTRACT
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were designed with the intent of ensuring all students will complete high school prepared for success in college and/or in a career. This provides K-12 education with a fresh focus and different types of learning outcomes. The CCSS, both for English Language Arts (ELA) and math, continually draw students' attention to the reasons they are learning certain knowledge and skills and to the ways in which they can apply what they learn to achieve their own goals. Children need opportunities to learn, hear, and use academic language, particularly in the content areas that receive the least instructional time in the early grades: science and social studies. The chapter offers answers to some of the questions parents are likely to ask, describes one possible challenge that might present itself, and suggests excellent resources available online that can be used for parent education efforts.
