IMAGINE if parents could know with certainty what their children are learning and in what grade they need to learn things. The result would be a coherent educational system with the opportunity of education truly equalized.

That is the promise of a common school curriculum, a set of core academic standards adopted by about 40 states so far, including Washington. Specific guidelines in English and mathematics will be rolled out in Washington schools in the 2012-13 school year. The guidelines will inform schools and teachers about what should be taught in each grade.

This is an important improvement that should not be dismissed as anti-local control. Our schools need a clear and consistent framework to prepare students for college and the workforce.

Common guidelines offering academic standards and supporting materials are important. They prescribe what Johnny should know in math by the time he is in fourth grade.

How Johnny learns is up to his school and teacher. There are no dictates on what teachers should be doing in the classroom. But finally there are comparable learning standards in education.

It is an educational model that is widely used in school systems in Europe and Asia. An important effort by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers was greatly informed by teachers who participated in the nationwide collaboration.

Randy Dorn, state superintendent of public instruction, correctly points to the need for educational consistency in an increasingly mobile society, a fact particularly true in Washington state.

"With our state's large number of military families, the transition to a new state and new school will be made a little easier as they'll be able to essentially pick up where they left off in their previous home," said Dorn.

Washington's Legislature in 2010 approved the standards. Teachers will begin using them in the 2012-13 school year. This year is the transition period. Educational leaders and advisory groups will spend it developing local support structures and instruction materials.

Efforts now are aimed at developing assessments based on the common core standards. New exams based on the common standards are expected in the 2014-15 school year.

A high standard and supporting curriculum improves the chances that students leave the K-12 system well-prepared for college, the workplace and a more complex world.