However, for Common Core State Standards to benefit students, school systems must create structures that assure foundational skills are acquired prior to entering high school.

Many educators view Black's appointment as a perpetuation of the trend to manage large school systems via a business model. This tactic is met with contention because corporate objectives are starkly different than those of public education.

No child should feel unsafe on their walk to school. If we are to turn around struggling schools, we owe this issue a bit of attention. Our children's lives and futures depend on it.

If we are going to address the burgeoning class size problem, it is time to think outside the proverbial box that is our classrooms.