The Common Core State Standards are at the center of the latest firestorm in American education reform. But this is not the nation's first torrid experience with standards implementation. In Challenging Standards, Jonathan Supovitz and James Spillane bring together the collective knowledge of top education researchers who have both experienced and investigated education reform challenges in the past. Combining both evidence-based research and applied knowledge, the contributors share with educational leaders their accrued wisdom about implementing standards in classrooms and systems, building capacity through relationships, and navigating the fractious political terrain. Each section of the book contains a set of facilitative questions that will help leadership teams, book clubs, and professional learning communities connect the chapters to their work.

ForewordIntroductionPart I: Leading Standards Implementation in Schools and SystemsSection IntroJames SpillaneChapter 1: Engaging with Standards-Jonathan SupovitzChapter 2:The Infrastructure and Conceptual Challenges of the Common Core Curriculum State Standards: English Language Arts As A Case-Carol LeeChapter 3: Implementing the Common Core: How Individuals, Organizational Resources, and Instructional Practice Matter-John DiamondChapter 4: School-Subject Variation in Educational Infrastructures: A Cautionary Implementation Tale-James Spillane, Megan HopkinsPart II: Leading Standards Implementation in ClassroomsSection Intro-Jonathan SupovitzChapter 5: Rewriting Myths about Curriculum Materials and Content Standards in Mathematics-Janine RemillardChapter 6: Overcoming the Challenges of Choosing Curriculum Materials: A Systematic Approach to Evaluating Common Core Alignment-Morgan PolikoffChapter 7: Fulfilling the Promise of Rigor for All-Emily HodgeChapter 8: Common Core in Uncommon Schools: Tools for Teacher Cohesion?-Bruce FullerChapter 9: Collaborative Professional Development To Create Cognitively Demanding Tasks in English Language Arts-Vivian Mihalakis, Anthony PetroskyPart III: Building System Capacity through RelationshipsSection Intro-James SpillaneChapter 10: Connections, Coherence, and Common Understanding in the Common Core-Thomas HatchChapter 11: Intelligently Partnering for Common Core Implementation-Donald PeurachChapter 12: Contracting for Digital Education in the Common Core Era-Patricia Burch, Andrew L. LaFave, Annalee GoodPart IV: Navigating PoliticsSection IntroChapter 13: Differences in Common: A Brief History of American Educational Standards-David GamsonChapter 14: Core Confusion: A Practitioner's Guide to Understanding Its Complicated Politics-Patrick McGuinnChapter 15: Implementation Politics and the Common Core-Katie McDermottChapter 16: A Window of Opportunity: The Politics and Policies of Common Core Implementation in California-Jennifer O'Day