There are two things that could dramatically impact Hawaii’s ability to implement new national curriculum standards, Student Achievement Committee members learned today.

First, the federal reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (currently known as No Child Left Behind). Congress is in the process of redesigning the law, and the form it takes could change things for the Common Core State Standards.

Regardless of what happens with ESEA, though, Board of Education members are saying that Hawaii needs an abundance of good high school counselors if the state is going to succeed at implementing the new standards. 

Right now, it seems like there aren’t enough high school counselors to ensure students make informed decisions about which credits to take as Hawaii shifts to national standards, says committee member Nancy Budd.