In clear and concise language, veteran education writer Robert Rothman identifies nine instructional "shifts" encouraged by the Common Core along with the research and rationale behind each change. He provides examples of teachers making the shifts as well as sample test questions that could be used to gauge student progress in the future. Rothman also addresses major challenges that are emerging as districts and schools move to implement the standards and highlights the ways school districts are working to overcome them.

Fewer, Clearer, Higher--the mantra adopted by the writers of the Common Core to emphasize the difference between existing state standards and the new ones needed to truly prepare all students for college or careers--is an indispensable guide for educators and anyone else seeking a better understanding of this major new development in education policy.

"Rothman slashes through the veritable jungle of data and commentary surrounding the new standards to give us--in terse but highly accessible prose--a set of key principles that drive both the math and ELA standards and the early attempts to implement them." -- P. David Pearson, Graduate School of Education, UC Berkeley

"At last, Rothman cuts through the hype and confusion surrounding Common Core State Standards to offer a clear-eyed, practical assessment of how they impact classroom practice. Fewer, Clearer, Higher is a must-read for any educator grappling with this major shift in schools today." -- Jo Ann D. Bartoletti, executive director, National Association of Secondary School Principals

Robert Rothman has written extensively on standards and assessments. He is a senior fellow at the Alliance for Excellent Education and the author of Something in Common: The Common Core Standards and the Next Chapter in American Education (Harvard Education Press).