The current debate over Common Core State Standards is a
continuation of many efforts by the federal and state
governments since the 1980s to reform public schools by
establishing standards and requiring public schools to comply
with them. Initiatives such as Goals 2000, America 2000, No
Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top all included standards.
The version known as “Common Core State Standards” was announced
in June 2009, and is sponsored by the National Governors’
Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and
supported by most of the educational establishment. It also has
widespread support from both political parties. Standards are
one of the major reasons for the federal and state educational
databases (discussed in the previous WPA Newsletter #114, page
13). Opposition to Common Core State Standards is coming from
some conservative organizations, some liberals, and teachers in
New York state and Washington state who are boycotting them by
refusing to administer tests associated with th