Expert answer
The Common Core is a real game changer in the U.S. for writing instruction. When you take a look at elementary schools and the state of writing instruction for teachers and schools in general there are two things that stand out. One, there’s very little writing going on by kids that involves extended writing about things that they’re learning or things that they’re reading. Second, there’s very little instruction in writing going on.
Now that doesn’t mean that there are not exceptions to that — there are some schools and some teachers who do a fabulous job with teaching writing. But what Common Core is now going to require is that kids write for multiple purposes (narrative, persuasive, and informative) and specific audiences, and to use writing as a tool for improving their comprehension of text and also their learning. So it’s going to be pervasive in terms of taking a look at what’s happening in elementary schools in writing.