A “common ” vision of instruction? An analysis of English/Language Arts professional development materials related to the Common Core State Standards

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to describe the stances put forward by a selection of professional development resources interpreting the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts (ELA) teachers, and to analyse where these resources stand in relation to research in ELA. Specifically, we analyse resources written by English educators and/or literacy scholars and by the lead authors of the ELA standards, David Coleman and Susan Pimentel. The visions of “Common Core instruction” forwarded by these resources are sometimes similar, but frequently different. These differences illustrate key tensions between the Common Core authors’ interpretation of what current instructional practices are—and how they need to be changed—and the perspectives of others from ELA and literacy. We also consider what these materials imply for teachers ’ voice and autonomy in educational reform