ABSTRACT
State government is responsible for overseeing most components of the education system. The state often chooses to delegate many of these responsibilities to districts, often called local education agencies. The state responsibility for funding education increased dramatically in the second half of the twentieth century. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) were a state-initiated effort to create simplified, higher quality standards for K-12 Language Arts and Mathematics. The Chief Council of State School Officers and the National Governors' Association championed the bi-partisan effort to create the standards. The federal government created a competitive grant program to fund development of CCSS-aligned assessments. The case of the Common Core opposition efforts also raise the use of symbols and public ideas being used to sway public opinion at the adoption and implementation phases of policy. Opposition groups selectively chose particular aspects of the Common Core to appeal to the values and beliefs of constitutions.
