Erik Berg

Erik Berg is a SECOND GRADE TEACHER at the John D. Philbrick Elementary School in Boston, Massachusetts. Erik began his teaching career at P.S. 309 in Brooklyn, NY in 1990, and has taught elementary school since then, including stints in Brazil and Ecuador. Erik has worked as a Spanish bilingual teacher and in general education programs. Since 2000, he has taught first or second grade in the Boston Public Schools, and has also served as a Literacy Coordinator, providing professional development and coaching to colleagues in the area of early literacy. He regularly serves as a cooperating teacher for graduate students in their practicum, and was a recipient of the Sontag Prize for Urban Education in 2010.

Erik currently serves on the Instructional Leadership Team at the Philbrick, where he has also served on the Math Leadership Team and the School Site Council. In 2008-2009, Erik led the planning and development process for the Boston Teachers Union School, a new teacher-led public school for grades K-8 founded on the principles of democratic governance and a wide-ranging curriculum. He now chairs the Governing Board at the Union School and serves on the Executive Board of the Boston Teachers Union.

Erik is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he graduated from South High School. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a Master’s degree from Lesley University. He lives in Boston with his wife and two children, where he enjoys running, cooking, reading, and travel.

The Maps

The Common Core Curriculum Maps in ELA

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February 20 • In this Education Week webinar Lynne Munson talks about how the arts can play a powerful role in CCSS implementation. To register for the archived webinar, sign in here. Or view Lynne’s PowerPoint where she unveils high school-level TDQs comparing two works of art.

February 11 • This morning on Rick Hess’s Straight Up blog is a “thoughtful conversation” he had with Student Achievement Partners Founding Member Jason Zimba on CCSS, math in particular. Lynne Munson commented on the interview, and her views also can be read in today’s Common Core blog

December 17 • Check out Education Week’s article “Arts Education Seen as Common-Core Partner.” Education Week

July 18 • Common Core has announced that the New York State Department of Education has awarded the organization a third contract to develop 6th-12th grade mathematics curriculum and corresponding professional development aligned to New York State’s Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS). News release.

May 7 • Common Core receives glowing reviews for professional development offered in Beaufort County, NC. Read the full story in the Washington Daily News.

April 25 • Common Core’s Lynne Munson comments on the pressures of high stakes testing and the effect it can have on student learning in Roberta Munoz’s article “Make it of Break it: High Stakes Testing Pros and Cons” on Education.com

April 4 • Common Core has announced that the New York State Department of Education has awarded it two contracts to develop
Pre-Kindergarten-5th grade mathematics curriculum aligned to NY State’s Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS). News release.

April 3 • Common Core Creating Math Maps for New York State. News release.

March 27 • Common Core has announced that it is developing a series of CCSS-aligned K-8 curriculum maps in history and geography. News release.

March 21 • Check out Education Week’s coverage of Common Core’s “Truant From Schools: History, Science, and Art” event!

March 15 • Common Core releases data showing curriculum narrowing affecting all students.

March 9 • Common Core celebrates Virginia’s decision to abandon SB185, a bill that would have eliminated state mandated science and social studies testing for third graders. You can read more about this issue, and Common Core’s advocacy work, in this recent blog entry.

December 8 • Check out Education Week’s coverage of Common Core’s recent national survey of school teachers.

November 14 • Read Lynne Munson’s response to the latest NAEP results. Joanne Jacobs’s “Linking and Thinking on Education” and the Core Knowledge blog also highlighted her piece.