The evolving politics of the common core: Policy implementation and conflict expansion

Abstract

The Common Core State Standards Initiative was adopted by forty-five states and heralded by supporters from both sides of the political aisle. Four years later, several states have rescinded their support and dozens more have introduced legislation to reconsider or limit participation. While standard explanations for opposition have focused on Republican state legislators and conservative ideological groups and emphasized concerns about a perceived loss of local control, our analysis reveals that opposition to the standards shifted considerably over time, engaging these groups and issues initially but expanding to include Democratic policymakers and their allies as implementation proceeded. A range of issues that were largely ignored when the initiative was adopted, including concerns over cost, teacher evaluation, accountability, and student privacy were brought to the fore as the policy had to be reconciled with existing systems and institutions. This analysis has implications for scholars tracing policy change in a federal system by revealing the centrality of implementation to understanding how political conflict evolves over time.