The Common Core State Standards Initiative is an "educational reform" movement that has many parts.  Understanding its various elements, how they are related, who planned and implemented them and who continues to support and press for them is a long process. The good news is that scholars, activists, teachers, administrators, and parents are beginning to connect the dots.  The links below represent only the tip of the iceberg regarding the CCSSI and its parts.  

 

Diane Ravitch's new book Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools (Knopf, 2013)  a great place to begin.  An educational historian and scholar, Dr. Ravitch once supported the standards-and-testing movement from which the CCSSI has grown.  She has since revised her views and presents a comprehensive account of the CCSS and its related elements. 

 

1.  Dr. Ravitch has a blog where she posts several times daily news related to the privatization movement and efforts to resist it.  

 

2.  Susan Ohanian's blog is also a wonderful resource, in particular, chronicling the NCTE's acquiescence to the standards. 

 

3.  Anthony Cody, a former National Teacher of the Year, has a blog at Education Week with clear-eyed criticism (with citations)! 

 

4.  Teri Lesesne's blog often draws connections between aspects of the CCSSI and literacy, for example, exploring the CCSS's reliance on "text complexity (usually reduced to "lexile level").