The efforts by individual state to set college- and career-ready standards for high school graduates have actually led to a remarkable degree of consistency in English and mathematics requirements. This “common core” – detailed in “Out of Many, One: Toward Rigorous Common Core Standards from the Ground Up”
– is the byproduct of aligning standards to real-world demands. The leadership role that the report shows states have displayed
in setting common English and math standards has implications for the role of the federal government in education policymaking and has the potential to change the way education issues are viewed at the state and national levels. (July 2008)