I was the fourth one in line. Standing directly in front of me were two moms that were obviously out shopping for school supplies. It is that time of year. Three-pronged folders, marble notebooks, some pens, a few book covers, a handful of binders, and some loose leaf paper was what I could see. What struck me most was how similar school shopping must have been twenty years earlier when that mom’s mother or father had taken her to the local store for back to school shopping. It struck me how as much as things in education seem to change; some things often remain the same. I began to ponder what year those teachers and schools were preparing those kids for. Were those the necessary materials that today’s third graders, the class of 2024, needed to be ready for college or a career upon graduation?

Read the full post, from the Alliance for Excellent Education, here.