Common Global Standards for 21st. century education

CORE GLOBAL STANDARS FOR 21st CENTURY EDUCATION

Core Global Academic Standards For 21st Century Education

María Eugenia Chávez Anduaga

De Paul University

Fall, 2012


Abstract

Education is facing big changes and great challenges in the 21st Century. Today, all na-

tions’ politicians have education on their agendas; they are worried about academic

standards and scores, within their countries, and the search for high quality and equality

in education for their young citizens. More over, they are now coping with internatio-

nal academic rankings, and they are being compared with other countries with different

educational systems, as well as competing for jobs, natural resources and leadership not

only in their own land but overseas. This report will examine Common Core Global

academic standards as a policy issue in the 21st Century Global society as the need for

students to to perform in a global scenario that includes digital communications and

technology development worldwide. Discussing the international context nations are

facing today, and the need of establishing new policies to set global academic standards.

This paper would study different perspectives of social, political, economical and cultu-

ral facts that would influence nations as individuals as well as a part of an international

community. Analyzing the context of this policy issue from a social, cultural, economi-

cal and political point of some countries will help to understand and implement better

educational policies for the well-being of children in today´s global society.

Keywords: common core academic standards, convergence, global education,

politics, learning, knowledge.

Core Global Standards Policies for the 21st Century Education


This report will examine the common core standards as a policy issue. It will

discuss their development as an approach to international standards to find how this will

policy issue would create quality in education for a global society. The way countries

would adopt a way to set worldwide educational goals and the way to measure them in a

fair way, to accomplish globe development for the good and well being of humankind.

The fact that for more than two centuries education was seen as a mechanical

process where children needed to learn contents to master a discipline, then to access to

college and to get a job locally, largely differs from today´s global needs to develop

skills as well as cognitive processes, attitudes and ethical values to succeed in today´s

world. School systems are facing big challenges because of the global tends to conver-

ge through technology and digital communications as well as the need to develop new

school systems that include real-world skills, individualized and flexible learning, mo-

tivation and values needed to cope with worldwide challenges and to be competitive in

a global scenario.

As the basis for each educational system and for purposes of determining ran-

kings on international tests, and as a way to give accountability on academic achieve-

ment for their citizens from a political, social, cultural and economical perspectives, se-

veral nations have adopted their own common core standards and some others are tr-

ying to set their own. More importantly, they should be using those “common core”

standards to educate their citizens and give them the tools needed to perform successfu-

lly in a global society. In this study I will examine the following:

1. The context of the policy issue regarding common core standards in a global society.

2. The social, cultural, political, economic and legal context that influence the policy

issue.


3. The United Nations Organization’s educational standards.

4. Conclusion

The Context of the Policy Issue Regarding Common Core Standards in a Global Society

“In education as in any other enterprise, setting the goals and the road to their

achievement will lead to success”.

In the Introduction and Overview of the report “How the world´s most impro-

ved school systems keep getting better”, (2010, p.10) McKinsey & Company state that

for two decades, school systems in several countries have been trying school reforms in

different ways. Among this reforms it has been discussed the accountability of academic

performance achievement by students, and the importance of academic national and in-

ternational standards as a way to assess the academic performance of each country citi-

zens compared to other nations´students performance. International organizations such

as the OCEDE has been developing tests (PISA) as ways to measure this achievement

in a global level. This organizations considered education as an important fact so they

have been designed tools and instruments to rank countries in their educational level.

The need to adopt new academic standards that could help children perform successfu-

lly on tests that give accountability of their academic development and that lead young

citizens in each country to the access to college, increasing their job opportunities,

concerns educators, citizens and politicians.

In my opinion, the look for quality and equality in education has been discussed

among citizens and educators everyday, every social conversation among families in-

clude education in their talking, people everywhere are worried about the future of their

children, and the opportunities for them to success in life. This quality would be asses-

sed in a long term, with the impact of profesional development in countries and hence a


growing economy, in a mid term by the percentage of students accessed to college, but

in a shorter term only tool today are test that in most countries demand great deals of

information that largely differs from what would be assed in the international scenario

of this century. The development of the right assessment tools aligned to the internatio-

nal academic performances would let school systems to track the success or failure

(evaluate) of new learning models that could be implemented to reach this long term

goals.

Common Core Standards have been discussed as a way to define what a child

needs to learn at a given grade level. In the U.S as in other countries, curriculum is de-

signed to meet certain desired outcomes according to the needs of local communities,

districts or states with autonomy to decide, teach and evaluate, so each district achieve

differently from one district to the other. Some times, this contents and information are

set by policymakers that do not now the really needs of certain areas in day-a-day

school reality. Children with special needs, bilingual children, or children who come

from poor situations in communities with a highly multicultural and diverse population

are increasingly failing standardized tests in a wide range of U.S. communities and ot-

her countries. According to Dilon in a column from the New York Times (March, 2010).

Proposing new Common Core Standards would help students change from mediocre to

“world-class” performance, through the country, transforming “American education”. 1

As we can learn from the N.Y Times article as an example, today, social

groups, organizations and private businesses are forcing countries to invest in education.

Governments have been trying to make states and provinces to adopt common core

Dillon S. 2010. Panel Proposes Single Standard for All Schools. N.Y Ti mes. Retrived from www.nytimes.com/1

2010/03/11/education/11educ.html Retrived on November 1,2010

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/11/education/11educ.html


standards as a way to evaluate and to hold them accountable on the progress of the pro-

grams and the policies as well as the money invested in educational programs. Desig-

ning and adopting common core standards for some nations has been difficult because

of the varying responses to the questions as: What must children learn? How this chil-

dren´s learning would be measured? What does this numbers mean to students, parents,

politicians, and teachers in a global scenario?

In education as in any other enterprise, there is the need to establish the goals,

the strategy to reach those goals and the tools to evaluate the achievement of them. That

is why regarding to education from any perspective, Common Core academic standards

are needed to be established in school systems.

According to Cross, (2010) in past years academic standards in the U.S. were

established according to the local needs, and the political agenda of different areas in

U.S. history. Today, they must be aligned to global expectations.

Several studies such as those from the UNESCO, have been described the glo-

bal needs for school instruction and students performance to cope with real world situa-

tions in the XXI Century. Daudet & Singh (2001) stated these needs in their study

The Right to Education: An Analysis of UNESCO´s Standard-setting Instruments whe2 -

re they talk about education as an ethical mission, and with a social point of view. The

establishment of standards, makes it easy to measure the progress of any process. That

is why setting academic standards is important, but attached to assessment and evalua-

tion instruments.

Daudet & Singh (2001) described this needs in their study The Right to Education: An Analysis of UNESCO´s 2

Standard-setting Instruments. In Education Policies and Strategies 2. Paris. United Nations, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrived from: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001238/123817e.pdf

http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001238/123817e.pdf


The establishment of Common Core standards in all countries is related with the

political structure, social and cultural background and also with economics and self in-

terests of groups from each country. Different interests, ideas, values and believes di-

verge in individuals as well as in groups. Getting to the task to converge to set Com-

mon Core Academic standards as the educational basis for a whole country make us

think about a policy that will rule over different groups ideas and beliefs regarding edu-

cation, and with that, the modeling of young minds. This fact have made Common

Core academic standards a very difficult task for policymakers in many countries whose

systems are based in freedom, and independence. Common Core standards, would be,

in some cases liked with the idea of socialism, or against constitutional values.

To define the standards and academic contents and competencies that children

of certain grade must learn, several countries have gathered experts, learn from other

school systems and rely on new learning research and methods. The struggle between

educators, psychologists, and policymakers are now facing a new issue to cope with.

What to teach? What do children need to learn? How do they learn? Today several re-

searches have developed theories about how people learn, how are the processes invol-

ved in the teaching-learning process and how the mind acquires knowledge. As an

example of this the Multiple Intelligences Theory from Howard Gardner for the Har-

vard Graduate School of Education had lead educators to think about school systems

reforms, influencing policymakers and educational leaders throughout the world. 3

With this educational revolution there comes the need to define academic stan-

dards that promote high quality in all countries as well as equality to reach all young

Gardner H. (2011) Multiple Intelligences: The First Thirty Years. Harvard Graduate School of Education. Retrived 3

from http://howardgardner01.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/intro-frames-10-23-10.pdf


citizens to be competitive not only in their communities but also internationally, because

today children are exposed to international competition. That is why countries are been

looking for well designed academic standards that as Gardner proposed considered new

competencies for a new learning and teaching processes. Unfortunately, for some coun-

tries, this has been a very difficult task. As Cross (2010) describes in his book, the

struggle to decide what to teach, in which grade and at which level has been discussed

by politicians, think tanks, private corporations, teachers, and school adminstrators, as

well as parents and community members of many countries for decades, trying to define

what “quality and equality” in education mean for them.

As an example of the aim of performing in an internationally arena, U.S. CCSS

are being analyzed by experts in different fields, whereas other countries’ standards

with better performance. We may find that in math, Goodman’s (2010) study for the

Institute of Mathematicals Sciences in New York University states some similarities of

U.S. Math Common Core standards with the standards of six countries he examined

(South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan). He says, “It is my opinión

that the Common Core draft description of the ‘mathematically proficient student’ is so

unrealistic as to be detrimental.” From his study Goodman says

The need for research based aged appropriate curricula, and the importance of higher level skills such as judgement, strategy, resourcefulness, and the ability to communicate. All of them state that high level skills do not come without lear-ning facts and practicing algorithms. (Education News, July 2010) 4

In her book, Darling-Hammond (2010) talks about Bush’s policy issue regarding

quality and equality for education. She talks about Bush´s attempt to reform the U.S.

educational system, and proposes a new agenda for this policy based on six national

Education News A comparison of proposed US Common Core math standards to selected Asian countries, July 9th, 4

2010. Retrived from http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/94979.html

http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/94979.html


goals. She insists on a reform of United States school systems based on the needs of the

country rather than the needs of individual schools or states. Her document states that

adopting common core standards would benefit all children regardless if they are from

poor or wealthy communities. She set five key elements: 1. Meaningful learning goals,

2. Intelligent, reciprocal accountability system, 3. Equitable and adequate resources, 4.

Strong profesional standards and supports and 5. Schools organized for student and tea-

cher learning.

The policy issue regarding Common Core Academic standards is defined by

Darling-Hammond as she describes some U.S. states’ good practices and their success

in their students’ performance. As well as McKinsey & Company, she considers an in-

ternational assessments (PISA) to evaluate the skills that a children must need to per-

form in the 21st century global society.

In discussing other countries’ successes in achieving high scores on this kind of

test, she also discussed the current federal policies emphasizing the need to be competi-

tive in a global scale describing other countries standards focused on skills, critical

thinking and the application of knowledge more than just contents and information tes-

ted by scales that do not contribute to improve students abilities to handle and analyze

information.

Initiatives all over the world are emerging around this policy issue that considers

the reform of school systems and the adoption of new common core standards based on

international standards. In their study, Mourshed, Chijioke and Barber (2010) analyze

“How does a system with modest performance become great?” Their report contains

interviews and research on 20 different school systems analyzing how to improve

schools in a district, state, and country. They considered that understanding the cultural,


social, economical and political individual context of each nation as well as being aware

of universal elements necessary to be competitive, will contribute to establishing new

school policies that help the global community to achieve better educational outcomes.

And this outcomes necessarily have to do with global measurement, through global

standards aligned to new demands worldwide.

The study reveals that it is not just about the spending on education of some

countries expeditures that produced better student outcomes but the strategy to accom-

plish and implement education policy with different approaches.

To discuss this policy issue context we should consider different perspectives in

different countries. We must consider teachers’ instruction, budgeting, cultural and so-

cial contexts as well as law and countries different government systems in order to un-

derstand how this issue can be addressed.

The Social, Cultural, Political and Economic Contexts that Influence the Policy Issue

We have learned from Fowler (2012) that to analyze a policy issue and to find a

better way to implement and to regulate it by law, several factors such as the social,

cultural, economical and political context of each country must be considered.

Different groups of people have their own ideas, values and beliefs that motivate

actions for each group according to their own interests. Learning those different groups’

interests and values is important to achieve core actions that will benefit majority of

students.

Since power and authority has to do with education, we need to understand dif-

ferent groups interests in their race for power to impose their own ideas over others,

leading to injustice based on classes, ideological differences, gender, and races. These

facts are important to policymaking since they are closely related to economics as ways


to control and as a human need to gain authority. In my point of view, all of this makes

it difficult to implement high quality education in different countries. In my opinion,

analyzing the social and cultural reality of every group involved in education is the key

to implement any policy such as establishing common academic parameters through a

whole nation.

To me, when talking about Common Core Global standards, the ideas and be-

liefs of the people involved in policy making is critical, as well as the partisans who will

adopt those policies. Education has been important because it has been the way to in-

fluence young minds. That is why it is considered from a point of view as a social en-

terprise, but for others as a way to control and constrict people’s actions to achieve po-

wer. This struggle had led to multiple strategies to develop policies according to their

needs instead of looking for the good of the people who will be educated. Talking

about standards that could regulate academic achievement and desired students outco-

mes worldwide then will come an international issue.

According to WISE the world is facing “unprecedented global challenges - po5 -

verty, conflict, unemployment, inequality, environmental sustainability and others con-

sidering education as is the route to short- and long-term solutions, yet today’s learning

systems are not coping with the task.

To enforce some policies such as Common Core standards in different nations,

some governments apply different kinds of power according to their particular culture

or social context, and economical and political structure.

WISE Initiative (2009) Quatar. World Innovation Submit for Education. Retrived from http://www.wise-qatar.org/5

content/wise-initiative#tabslink-1 Retrived on November 10,2012

http://www.wise-qatar.org/content/wise-initiative%2523tabslink-1


Identifying the cultural, historical, political and economical context of each

country and understanding global parameters will guide this policy.

Today political, economic and social arenas in our global society are facing dra-

matic changes. According to the United Nations’ Development Policy and Analysis Di-

vision, the resources provided by the ODA (Official Development assistance) increased,

but they are not enough to support poor and undeveloped countries. For more than a

decade Millenium Development Goals could not be achieved today because of the lack

of financial resources. There are some initiatives to increase the funds since internatio-

nal taxes are not raising the necessary funds needed to help countries with their pro-

grams. The other initiatives with large fundraising potential are still discussed due to

political controversy as many countries refuse to adopt international forms of taxation

because they undermine their national sovereignty. Other proposals have failed because

of domestic nations’ own needs. Since WWII the world has been under a tough finan-

cial situation according to the DESA (2012) there have been developed different initia-

tives to actions that contribute and cooperate to overcome this financial crisis.

The international community will need to come to grips with such issues if it wishes to go beyond traditional modalities of development assistance and meet the financing needs for addressing global challenges. World Economic and So-cial Survey 2012 analyzes the nature of the challenges associated with genera-tion new sources of development. It confirms the potential of a number of me-chanisms, but concludes that realizing the potential will require international agreement and corresponding political will to tap sources as well as the design of appropiate governance of uses and allocation mechanisms (UNO, DESA. 2012 pp. v – vi). 6

Since economics are attached to politics, the United Nations Department of Eco-

nomic and Social Affairs prognostics for the next two years are a global financial crisis

United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs World Economic and Social Survey: In Search of new development 6

finance, 2012. New York. Retrived from http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/wess_current/2012wess.pdf


which erupted four years ago to continue. In the report issued by the Expert Group Mee-

ting on the World Economy, Project LINK (October 22-24, 2012. New York). we can 7

learn that even developed countries such as the U.S. are facing economic woes. Most

European countries are economically depressed, which keeps them from growing; addi-

tionally, unemployment is rising, which means sovereignty national risks that affect

each other nations, dragging one to another in the European Community. The world

economy is facing risk mostly because the euro area crisis where some countries are

economically depress as well as the U.S. continued budget impase, which according to

the study, could cause the largest economy fall into a “fiscal cliff”. On the other hand,

tensión in Middle-east countries, could lead countries to global ramifications that could

bring food crisis. The study states:

Policy makers in developed countries have been trying to break out their vicious circle through further monetary expansión and announced policies of structural reform. The latter at best may have a gradual effect, leaving basically one accele-rator to restore growth with only muted effect, because austerity measures pre-vail on the fiscal front, more needs to be done to the repair the financial system and a good deal of policy uncertainty remains (such as in the United States). (p.5)

This economical context have lead to different countries to look for strategies to

produce better academic achievement for they know industry has been changing too,

and quality profesional performance and new competencies in all performance areas are

demanded worldwide.

Analyzing this context we can learn how economical problems throughout the

globe are affecting productivity as well as causing social issues such as poverty, inequa-

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Project LINK Expert Group Meeting on the World Economy (Project 7

LINK) LINK Global Economic Outlook 2013-2014. New York. Retrived from: http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/proj_link/documents/linkreportfall2012.pdf

http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/proj_link/documents/linkreportfall2012.pdf


lity, hunger, health and environmental damages. Education had been left behind for past

years but today it becomes a key to the find the answer and solution to this issues.

Studying some examples on how some countries are adopting Common Core

Standards, will help understand different perspectives on how they are addressing this

policy issue within their particular context.

Small countries, such as Malta, have defined new common core competencies in

Math, Literacy and Literacy as main cognitive purposes which define quality in educa-

tion for Malta´s government. In the document “National Policy and Strategy for the At-

tainment of Core Competencies in Primary School” the Directorate for Quality and

Standards in Education Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Support (2009) esta-

blished the need to reform their educational system by this policy, and states the steps

policymakers must take to achieve their goals. Policy issues are always defined by a

benchmark and regulated by a higher local, state or organizational constitution or law,

considering the role of stakeholders, and considering means of evaluation and projec-

tions on the accomplishments planned. Malta, as other countries, consider quality in

education for the well-being of the community. Malta´s political system is a unitary

system that differs from the U.S’s regarding education, and that helps enforce this po-

licy as a law for the country. It is also interesting to learn how this policy falls within a

national commitment towards lifelong learning instead of just passing tests.

In Mexico, for instance, society, culture and politics are linked to history, where

people are used to be ruled and follow mandates. Although Mexico is an independent

nation, society has a big influence from other countries such as the U.S or Spain who

conquered Mexico in 1521 and despite its Independence in 1810 and Revolution in

1910, families and individuals still struggle with identity. Ethnical groups are big, mul-


ticultural communities are there all over the country, and communications and resources

are short. This background shapes the culture of mexican people whose traditions and

values play an important role while adopting new ideas. Society is very conservative,

and religious values are mixed with obedience. All this has helped politicians to control

and to mandate policies and laws with small opposition, and also contributes to foreign

companies or groups to influence governments to control mexicans through education

for more than two centuries. Regarding politics, Mexican Constitution states education

in its 3rd Article, so education is centralized by the Secretaría de Educación Pública,

(Education Federal Department). All education policies, programs, curricula, teachers´s

instruction and development are stated in the Ley General de Educación. The states 8

are responsible to collaborate with the Federal Government to adapt just some of the

programs according to their demographics and to inform every activity from local

schools. Economically, Mexico funds its schools from the federal budget, so the federal

government decides how much is to be spent for every school expediture in the country,

and owns every school facility in the nation. Teachers belong to the federal payroll and

instruction is provided by just federal programs according to this reduced budget, in

some cases regardless of the communities real needs.

Despite Mexican education is centralized and funded by the federal government,

setting the goals for high quality in education aligned to international standards as op-

posed to those by the UNESCO and the OCEDE , policymakers did not considered 9 10

SEP Ley General de Educación 8

Morin E. (1999) Seven complex lessons in Education for the future. Unesco Publishing Education on the Move. 7 place Fontenoy 9

–75352 Paris 07 SP, France: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Organization for Economic Coperation and Development10


some important aspects as teachers’ groups or the social and cultural background of the

mexican population to implement the “Reforma Educativa”. As a result, students do not

receive a high quality in education, achieving poor scores on international tests. Addi-

tionally, teachers lack of resources and procedures for evaluation make it difficult to re-

form education in the country. Common Core standards in Mexico are aligned with in-

ternational standards, but according to the OCEDE Mexico perform poorly in the PISA

tests. 11

On the other hand, in countries such as the U.S., who were created under a diffe-

rent scheme, where states or local districts decide some of their policies and laws. They

are as well struggling with low academic achievement on international standards (tests).

Although the U.S. has a well-defined political structure where the federal government

has its own agenda for the country, states have their own constitution. This background

frames the social and cultural context of U.S. citizens. Today the changes in demograp-

hics, where other cultures had become part of the national population, makes the federal

government take actions, as well as every state in the country regarding Common Core

standards in education. Culture in the U.S. has been shaped by Independence from ot-

her countries and the aim to being competitive in a global society. Economics have pla-

yed an important role since the U.S. as a capitalist country looks for more profitable in-

terests. Different groups play important roles while establishing the political agenda,

and the policy issue is shaped by several and very different interests that make it very

difficult to conciliate. The process to develop a policy, and the way to implement and

evaluate it demands a more profound knowledge of politics in the U.S and the players

PISA. OCEDE (2009) Comparing countries and economies´performance OCEDE Figure I. Retrived from http://11

www.oecd.org/pisa/46643496.pdf

http://www.oecd.org/pisa/46643496.pdf


involved. Several interests had lead, through history, to change the political agenda and

consider education within the national concern. Today, the majority of states have adop-

ted CCSS, but not all, and in my opinion this makes it difficult for the country to eva-

luate education as a nation. CCSS are still discussed among school districts, and some

of them differ from global standards. The fight for power and financial issues struggle

in some states do not let the accomplishment of the goal of a high quality in education

for every U.S. young citizen. Competitively is also a part of U.S. citizens culture, as

well as with an individualistic point of view that leads to a lack of equality. As a result,

there is a huge gap between wealthy and poor communities regarding education. Anot-

her fact to be consider is the fact that in some cases education has been only seen as a

way to gain votes in political campaigns. In other cases education is a federal commit-

ment regulated by law, and in other cases some nations have been realizing the impor-

tance of education as the future well-being of the society as the key of social and eco-

nomic productivity. “The political interest in public education is coming into bloom as

the state enters its latest round of budget-driving lawsuits over how schools are finan-

ced. Student accountability testing is a hot topic too”. (New York Times, 2012 p.

A19A)‑ 12

In other countries such as England or Hong Kong, where they have been raising

their academic scores in international scales, the Common Core Standards have been

applied to all schools in the country. Their social, economical, political and cultural con-

text differ from Mexican or U.S. contexts already mentioned. Policymakers have been

working to produce standards aligned to the global demands for children in the 21st

! Ramsey R. The Texas Tribune on N.Y. Times. September 20, 2012 Focusing on Education, with an eye on the 12voters Retrived from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/us/texas-politicians-focus-on-education-with-eye-on-vo-ters.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y Retriven on October 28, 2012

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/us/texas-politicians-focus-on-education-with-eye-on-voters.html?emc=tnt&tntemail1=y


Century, including the use of technology and the development of skills such as those

proposed by Hammond-Darling in her book “Flat World”. According to some studies

such as Mcinsey & Company (2010) they analyze that despite different contexts, or fi-

nancial support some countries have reach better quality in education, being Common

Core standards the way to give accountability of this fact.

In the universal scale created by McKinsey & Compay based on Hanushek. R.

Woessman methodology, (How the world´s most improved school systems kept getting

better, 2010 p. 15) we can learn that countries such as South Korea or Singapore per-

form better in universal scores, despite the spending per student. This demonstrates that

the Common Core Global standards are a policy issue that should be studied from other

perspectives rather than just the economic one. In their study, McKinsey & Company

found that those countries that perform fair to good, are consistent in consolidating sys-

tem foundations including the production of high quality performance standards, that

can be evaluated, being a benchmark to students and teachers, and giving accountability

on each education player performance. The way to excellence in these countries are

school-centered but within a system-wide-interaction, considering teachers instruction

as a key element to achieve better performance. On the other hand they found that those

countries that focused on supporting students in just some subjects achievement, such as

math or literacy do not involve teachers higher performance or interaction, and the re-

sults are low compared to those with higher scores.

The Common Core Global standards becomes a reference to align countries in

desired academic outcomes for their students, but they must be adapted and studied

from each nation’s history, culture, structure, economical system, and politics to really

meet each countries young citizens’ demands.


In countries such as the U.S. where each state dictates their own constitution and

law regarding education, the federal government has been struggling with this issue too,

as a national issue. As we know programs such as NCLB are an attempt to raise the

quality of education, but they did not accomplish their goal today because several inter-

ests are involved in implementing this policy.

Taking about the social context and the way teachers influence this policy issue,

can say that teachers are the key to adopting new Common Core standards in any coun-

try. Several teachers all over the world are struggling with the new perspective of educa-

tion that demands a new way to deliver knowledge and skills to their students. In an

interview with Heather Briske from Chimney Hill Elementary in district 36 B.C. she

talks about the need to connect with other children to learn and motivate students. She

describes how global or international standards would help her students while aligning

some desired learning outcomes to those in other countries. “Through technology in the

classroom and now with the open wireless we got in the school, we can be creative to

share and to learn from other communities in the world, connecting learning and know-

ledge with real-life experiences”. “Sharing our state standards with other communities

worldwide make my students know they are at a certain level and give them self confi-

dence to know they can cope with international demands”. “Unfortunately, on the other

hand, it has been difficult for some schools to meet even their state standards, this also

have an impact in their budget so resources will be short comparing ours so they reject

standardized tests as well as contents”. By Briske´s comments about the common core

standards, we may learn that standards are attached to testing and evaluation, so there

are two sides of the story. Teachers that are being evaluated through students perfor-

mance, complaining that it would not be fair because of the different backgrounds of


students, and on the other hand, teachers and admistrators who need to measure the aca-

demic performance and achievement of their students.

Governments have been trying to establish strategies to motivate or mandate

teachers´development through different ways, but unfortunately in most countries they

have faced resistance from Teacher´s Unions as well as lack of teaching techniques up-

dating. Teachers as a social group fight with bureaucracy, as Lakin (2007) describes in

his book about his own experience becoming a teacher in Michigan. In his book, Lakin

(2007) “Teaching as an Act of Love: Thoughts and recollections of a former teacher,

principal and kid” he explains how he faced different state policies and teacher´s requi-

rements describing and comparing real practices to standards. Larkin recognizes that

sometimes politics are far from reality, and that sometimes instruction has nothing to do

with problem solving inside the classroom. By his story we can identify that a teacher´s

point of view in setting standards must consider all people involved. Another important

problem he talks about is the difference between the aim to score high in tests and stu-

dents actual learning according their motivation and own interests, that represent most

of teachers claim while adopting standards that are far from U.S. schools day to day

reality.

In countries such as Mexico, teachers’ way of instruction is still traditional and

most of them are used to teaching based on memorizing rather than promoting compe-

tencies that involve critical thinking, and abilities to solve problems. Despite Mexican

government policy and law for reforming teachers practices, inside classrooms, teachers

reproduce the way they were instructed instead of letting students practice and reinforce

mental processes that will help them to be more competitive in international standards.

This problem has to do with deeper facts and actions to cope with “resistance.” Policies


must look at cultural, social and economic context of the policies developed as a way

for them to be implemented. 13

Another important fact is that in most countries there are wide range of immigra-

tion as well as multiculturalism, that differ from past years where social groups and

countries were well identified and standards in different arenas could applied to people

that shared the same values and ideas. According Choudaha and Chang in their WES 14

report on “Trends in International Student Movility” students are moving from state to

state, and from country to country, institutions all over the world are adopting new re-

cruitment strategies because of the cuts in budget and the competitively they are facing

today and the U.S. is adopting international students in the competition for talent and

self-funded students. Colleges and Universities are enrolling students who need to pass

their standardized tests, so demographics is institutions become an important fact to be

consider while thinking about academic standards in lower school levels among the

country.

Taking about cultural context in each country is an important fact to be consider

while developing a policy, while the success of being adopted depends on individuals

and on a personal relationship. The implementation of any policy, or strategy demands

understanding the background of every group. So regarding Common Core Global stan-

dards policy issue, demands the comprehension of all these facts, and the understanding

of the global needs, to be accomplished and implemented. In my opinion, culture is the

Reforma Integral de Educación Básica, SEP http://basica.sep.gob.mx/reformaintegral/sitio/pdf/marco/13

PSE2007-2012.pdf Retrived on October 30, 2012

Choudaha R. Chang L. 2012. WES World Educational Services, Research and Advisory Services. Trends in Inter14 -national Student Movility. Retrived from http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/research-trends-internatio-nal-student-mobility-education-2012-en.pdf Retrived on November 2, 2012

http://www.uis.unesco.org/Library/Documents/research-trends-international-student-mobility-education-2012-en.pdf

http://basica.sep.gob.mx/reformaintegral/sitio/pdf/marco/PSE2007-2012.pdf


result of different practices that groups of people repeat and learn from generation to

generation, including traditions, language and values. Culture makes a group different

from the other, and prints on that group a particular characteristic that make it unique.

Despite that cultures have prevail through the human history, today, today the world is

facing a new phenomenon that we need to take on account while talking about interna-

tional academic and educational issues.

Today, people all over the world is connected and individuals are learning to communi-

cate with each other through technology. New media resources are making it possible

to learn in real time and from the real world, so education is also facing changes that are

needed to be considered while the design of Common Core Global standards. New pro-

grames are developed through technology and children are now able to learn from a

movile devices, and their environment is surrounded by technology. New sources of

information are being accesible to teachers and students, and new educational tools are

being developed everyday. Every day more schools are opening wireless to their stu-

dents, so learning tools are being now adopted. (Devaney L. School News 2012). 15

This new culture today make it possible for global citizens to converge and make

this digital era an important fact for education and for the development of new common

core standards.

As an example of this new culture that is now emerging Jenkins (2006), talks

about the Wikipedia phenomenon where people today are sharing contents from a diffe-

rent perspective and point of view contributing to develop a wide range of information

and content, in contrast with the fact of how this information have being traditionally

Devaney L. E School News. Poll: Teachers, Parents wants more technology. Retrived from http://www.eschool15 -news.com/2012/09/11/poll-teachers-parents-want-more-technology/?ast=83&astc=7699

http://www.eschoolnews.com/2012/09/11/poll-teachers-parents-want-more-technology/?ast=83&astc=7699


delivered by encyclopedias and other academic documents, mentioning the tend to con-

verge and re design educational media systems.

From the above mentioned countries different contexts regarding law, politic,

economic, social and cultural context, as well as the changes that the world is facing

today, we may learn that the Common Core Global academic standards are being consi-

dered by most countries in the world. Countries all over the globe are facing new cha-

llenges regarding education, and school systems will be reformed to accomplish best

academic performance now globally measured. So, in my point of view, policy makers

need to pay attention, not only to their own contexts but also international contexts whi-

le establishing their goals for quality in education.

The United Nations Organizations educational standards

Internationalization is considered by some developed countries such as Japan

regarding education, according to the OCEDE (Hazelkorn inteview 2008) studies Japan

as many other countries who are facing demographics transformation adopted new

school reforms, considering the importance of international ranking. 16

Internationalization has become both a university and a government priority be-cause it is seen as a sign of global competitiveness. Countries with high levels of international students benefit from the contribution they make to domestic re-search and development while those with low numbers find it ‘more difficult…to capitalize on this external contribution to domestic human capital production’(3). The Economist refers to this as the ‘battle for brainpower ’(4), while The Daily Yomiuri calls it the ‘scramble for foreign students’(5). The Ja-panese government aims to increase the number of international students from the current 100,000 to 300,000 by 2020 but this strategy is not without its cha-llenges. Comparing the competitive advantages of different countries, the Ob-servatory of Borderless Higher Education indicates Japan has only the advantage of low tuition. There are restrictions on student visas, the cost of living is high, and there are no preparatory lessons prior to the start of class(6).

Hazelkorn E. OCEDE (2008) from IMHE Project “Impact of Rankings in Higher Eduation. Japan. Retrived from 16

http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/fromglobalisationtointernationalisationtheinfluenceofrankingsonjapanesehighereduca-tionbyellenhazelkorn.htm

http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/fromglobalisationtointernationalisationtheinfluenceofrankingsonjapanesehighereducationbyellenhazelkorn.htm


In the same study from the OCEDE there is described the importance of national

an international rank and how this numbers contribute to Japan´s educational develop-

ment. 17

For institutions visibility is vital to the success of this strategy – international rankings have a role to play (not least because the Times Higher Education QS measures the proportion of international students and faculty) but it is not just about being highly-ranked; it is also about being recognized. Many university leaders, at all levels in the popularity stakes (in Japan, Germany and Australia), have commented that rankings have made their institution better-known both nationally and internationally. While some universities vie for high rank, for many others just being mentioned can be beneficial – helping to overcome local bias or tradition.

National rankings, such as the comprehensive Asahi Shimbun(9), may be gro-wing in popularity but most students interviewed for this research still relied on a combination of local intelligence and entrance scores. The more difficult a university is to enter, the better it is seen to be. In contrast, international students rely heavily on global/worldwide rankings – to help identify the best university but also to help guarantee employment when they return home.

International organizations such as UNESCO have been working collaboratively

with different countries to define standards for global citizens. In his essay “Seven

complex lesson in education for the future” (1999 p.7 ) Morin establishes what he and

other educational researchers consider to be what schools must develop in today´s so-

ciety. He states:

Education, in the broadest sense of the term, plays a preponderant role. In this development aimed at fundamental changes in our ways of living and behaving. Education is the “force for the future” because it is one of the most important instruments to change. One of the greatest problems we face i show to adjust our way of thinking to meet the challenge of an increasingly complex, rapidly changing, unpredictable world. We must rethink our way of organizing know-ledge. This means breaking down the traditional barriers between disciplines

Hazelko E. (2008) From Globalisation to Internationalisation – the Influence of Rankings on Japanese Higher 17

Education. Japan. Retrived from http://www.oecd.org/edu/imhe/fromglobalisationtointernationalisationtheinfluenceo-frankingsonjapanesehighereducationbyellenhazelkorn.htm



and conceiving ways to reconnect that which has been torn apart. We have to redesign our educational policies and programs.

It is necessary to look at organizations such as UNESCO to learn about the glo-

bal needs.. UNESCO´S recommendations are for countries to produce policies that in-

clude each nation’s particular needs as well as those needed worldwide. In the docu-

ment “The Right of Education: An Analysis of UNESCO´s Standard-setting Instru-

ments, Daudet & Sinhg (2001), UNESCO promotes global standards for countries in

the world, always considering education as an ethical mission where all countries must

be involved. The document also states the promotion of collaboration to set common

standards for basic education and instruction. This analysis includes several references

coming from different countries concerning UNESCO´s standards and instruments con-

sidering the problems the world face today, and the urge to renew educational stan-

dards.

UNESCO as being part of the UNO have been doing research through different

institutions, researchers, and organizations, in order to find the best way to collaborate

for the human well-being. Unfortunately self interests of countries always diverge, and

despite UNESCO´s efforts, today most countries are still looking for their own good,

leaving important issues as collaboration behind.

While talking about this policy issue, UNESCO have been supporting programs

such as WISE where education through technology can reach more people, considering

education as the route to short and long term solutions to the challenges the world is co-

ping with such as poverty, inequality, environmental sustainability, ideological conflicts,

among others. 18

WISE World Inovation Submit for Education. Retrived from http://www.wise-qatar.org/content/wise-18

initiative#tabslink-1 Retrived from November 5, 2012



Conclusion

As mentioned before, the world is facing a new converge culture where commu-

nications, high technology and new media formats are making it possible to learn and to

share overseas. According to Henry Jenkins (2006) constrained power will remained 19

that way, but the need to belong to wider communities is growing in today´s global citi-

zens. He thinks that individual interests are now able to converge in a mediatic society,

redesigning the messages and contents given by the traditional communication media.

In my point of view, education is part of this new movement, where now teachers and

educators can transform and reform the way traditional education has been deliver to

students, sharing, reading, learning and participating actively and producing a new way

to communicate and a new culture in new and foreign school communities. Joining

educational forces for the good and well being of millions of students in the world, des-

pite the place or country they belong to and the development of new “Common Core

Global Values” such as respect to diversity, will lead to quality and equality in educa-

tion.

This new culture will shape the future of education and must be considered as

the tend to be establish Common Core Global standards, for a global society.

Diversity is present today in every nation, so there is the need to converge into

this new culture where individuals will be respected and where small groups can have a

voice and could learn to strengthen their own culture. Moral beliefs, values and reli-

gion of different groups will need to find a way to set common interests for the well

being of humanity.

Jenkins H. 2006. Convergence Culture New York University Press. 19


Those nations and policymakers that know how to address this policy, and how

facts are important to influence others will success in its implementation, and will be

ranking higher in global scores, not only considering numbers, but also considering the

whole country developing level.

Common Core Global academic standards would be among the most important

school reforms of this century. Considering education as way of influencing and trans-

forming the global environment in several ways: politically, economically and ethically.

New global educational policies will arise but it would take time because larger inter-

ests form every nations diverge. Countries should define their own Common Core

Standards, but considering the interaction of school systems in the global society we

belong today. The agenda setting demands the collaboration of governments and the

interdisciplinary work of educators, community members, policymakers and politicians.

Developed countries could help other countries to establish their National Academic

Standards to higher their educational level to cope with global issues. Less developed

systems should learn from those most resourceful countries, who had found better prac-

tices for their school systems.

In order to conclude this study, I will add, that regarding this Common Core

Global Standards policy issue, those countries who would participate in the design, im-

plementation and evaluation of desired learning outcomes for their students to perform

globally. And those who consider their own reality and their individual needs as well as

to be willing to participate in this convergence looking over self interests will gain furt-

her accomplishments for themselves and for all mankind in this 21st Century Global

Society. Not only scores and international academic rankings will reveal nations ac-


complishments in education, but less social, economical, and political problems for

them and for the world.

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Common Global Standards for 21st. century education

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