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HIGH POINT -- With the first day of school less than a month away for most K through 12 students in North Carolina. State educators want to make both students and parents aware of some big changes that are coming in the classroom.

Educators are implementing a brand new curriculum throughout N.C. schools starting this fall that's more rigorous than in the past. But they say it will not only make learning more effective, but more fun as well.

Teachers throughout the state have spent part of their summer getting ready to teach the "common core" curriculum. It used to be that students learned from a state-based curriculum. This is a national one, used by schools in 40 other states, so students are learning the same thing, regardless of where they live.

Educators say what makes it different is that students will have to apply what they've learned, making it a more hands-on experience.

"Especially with math, specifically, we're going to ask kids to use manipulatives, and to apply writing to their mathematics and to really explain how they got their answer," said Meredith Chandler, a math curriculum specialist.

Teachers say the best thing parents can do to help their children is engage them more at home. So if your student is, for example, learning about measurements in the classroom, get in the kitchen and let them help you cook.