There's no question that, with 46 states signed on, the Common Core State Standards are shaking up K-12 education. It's a testament to the power of this initiative that even states that have willfully resisted the Common Core still feel its presence. Consider Texas, which opted out on the grounds of state sovereignty, but now contends with an upstart Texas Association of Business concerned that Texas' "currently proposed [math] standards are actually worse and less rigorous than the Common Core Standards."

Of course, adopting the standards is the easy part compared to the hard work of actually implementing them, and warning signs abound that states and districts may be underestimating the size of the challenge. New data from math guru Bill Schmidt show that the math Common Core standards will require major curriculum alignments, not to mention new materials and teacher training.

Truth be told, the real measure of adoption even for states that have signed on will be the tests coming down the pike in the 2014-2015 school year.  Until then, districts and states (not to mention publishers and other vendors) can slap a "Common Core aligned" sticker on any curriculum they choose and no one will be the wiser. 

Marisa Goldstein