Business and Education Panel to Discuss Higher Standards for K-12 Education
State and local leaders from business, higher education and the K-12 education community will discuss higher standards for K-12 education on Tuesday, November 19 at 6:00 p.m. at the Community Library. The title of the panel discussion is “Expect More: Idaho Core Standards and the Shift to Rigor, Critical Thinking and Deeper Understanding for All Students.”
Idaho Core Standards are higher standards in math and English language arts that will prepare every Idaho student for the future. States took the lead to develop new academic standards that are rigorous, more in-depth, and comparable with other countries.
Blaine County schools have been preparing for the Idaho Core Standards for several years; this fall teachers began teaching to the higher standards in math and English language arts. A new assessment of the standards will begin this spring with a field test.
The state-led effort includes 45 other states who responded to the call from the business, higher education and K-12 education communities for standards aligned across the country that would meet the challenges of the 21st century.
The panel consists of Rod Gramer, CEO of Idaho Business for Education, Jenny Emery Davidson, PhD, Director of the Blaine Center for the College of Southern Idaho, Evelyn Johnson, Executive Director of the Lee Pesky Learning Center, Angie Martinez, Blaine County School District Director of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning, Darlene Dyer, English language arts teacher at Wood River High School and Kathy Baker, Blaine County School Board Trustee. The panel will be moderated by Cynthia Dillon, Executive Director of the Community Library and Heather Crocker, Director of Communication, Blaine County School District.
The panel will discuss the potential impact of the Idaho Core Standards on K-12 education, higher education and business. Idaho Business for Education CEO Rod Gramer said, “For business the core standards mean that we can have a highly educated and skilled workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow. It means that Idaho businesses can give those jobs to Idaho students and won’t have to import talent from other states.”
The Idaho Core Standards have been endorsed by Idaho college and university presidents, superintendents, school boards, educators, parents, legislators and business leaders across the state.
A question and answer session will follow the panel discussion and materials will be available about the Idaho Core Standards. The event is free and open to the public.
For more on the Blaine County School District, go to www.blaineschools.org
