The Lay of the Land

• In Event: Implementing the Common Core: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

Objective:

The objective of this paper is to map out the landscape of decisions from Common Core adoption through full implementation. In doing so, it will enumerate the many intersections between the Common Core and the various school reform efforts with which it interacts, including teacher preparation, school and teacher accountability, and educational technology.

Theoretical Framework

This paper uses Pressman and Wildavsky’s (1973) analytic framework to understand the politics and intricacies of implementation. In that work, the authors explain how challenging it is to marshal diverse actors at different levels of government (federal, state, and local). Each level has its own responsibilities, incentives, and motivations, and trying to coordinate them all is quite challenging.

Mode of Inquiry

This paper is a cataloging of implementation issues, based both in analysis of plans to implement the Common Core proffered by state education agencies, the federal government, and various non-governmental non-profits as well as historical analysis of past education reform efforts.

Data Source

The information is culled from news reports, state education agency websites, speeches from public officials, and extant research on teacher preparation, school and teacher accountability, educational technology, and the politics of education.

Results

This paper identifies 17 key decision points, and using Pressman and Wildavsky’s cumulative probability measure of likelihood of success, estimates various scenarios of Common Core success. If each of those decisions has a 99% chance of resolving itself in favor of successful Common Core implementation, the effort writ large has only an 84% chance of succeeding as a whole. If the probability drops to 95%, the cumulative probability drops to 42%. The paper dives into the assumption that each is an independent event and offers guidance as to how observers can understand the various decisions that need to be made along the way.

Scholarly Significance

This work adds to the research literature on implementation, specifically with respect to education programs.

Author

• Michael Q. McShane, The American Enterprise Institute