In 2008, America followed the educational standards that had guided the teaching of children for decades previously. Wisconsin was no different.

In 2009, America began to break the traditional guidelines for education in favor of a new teaching handbook for English and mathematics, called the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) Initiative. Wisconsin looked on at its siblings with an inquisitive expression.

In 2010, America was in full-gear adopting the new standards. Wisconsin, sensing a national trend, quickly followed suit.

By 2014, 45 states, including three territories and Washington, D. C., had adopted CCSS and were implementing them into their own curricula.

Wisconsin, however, was deeply divided over the issue.

The controversy began on July 17 of that year when Governor Scott Walker announced to the press that he would “call upon the members of the State Legislation to pass a bill…to repeal Common Core and replace it with standards set by the people of Wisconsin.” While the fires have died down from their initial inferno, many people are still heated about the issue, whether they be for or against it.

On the national stage, Common Core has become a bloody battleground among politicians, especially the plethora of presidential candidates for the 2016 election. This attention has turned Common Core into a significant point of political debate, as political America has become bipolar over the issue. However, the focus has shifted from the actual educational standards set to the motivations of the government that set them.

On the state level, some states, such as Missouri and North Carolina, have reviewed and edited the CCSS to adjust their shortcomings, while others, like South Carolina and Oklahoma, have repealed the entirety of the Common Core. This leaves five states currently in open protest of the standards (Texas, Virginia, Minnesota, Nebraska and Alaska) with Indiana and Oklahoma joining the ranks of opposition.

Among teachers nationwide, support for the new standards has changed drastically. According to a survey conducted by Education Next, an education journal, of teachers in 2013, 76 percent expressed support for Common Core, compared to only 12 percent opposed. The same survey conducted a year later showed drastically differing results; only 46 percent stood with the standards, with 40 percent directly opposed to them, more than triple the previous responses.

Within Wisconsin itself, the implementation of Common Core into individual schools and school districts initially proceeded with comparatively small amounts of flak. “The adoption of Common Core State Standards defines K-12 academic standards that are aligned with college and work expectations, inclusive of rigorous content and application,” Mr. Tony Evers, Wisconsin State Superintendent of Schools and official adopter for the state, said.

How does this impact the Mequon-Thiensville School District?

The Mequon-Thiensville School District has continues as status quo since adoption. While some parents and teachers have formed a community opposed to Common Core, little official action has been made outside of Madison.

The official website of Common Core describes its mission as follows: “To ensure all students are prepared for success after graduation, the Common Core establishes a set of clear, consistent guidelines for what students should know and be able to do at each grade level in math and English language arts.” According to Homestead Principal Brett Bowers, this aligns perfectly with Homestead’s mission. “Our concentration on the Common Core State Standards has helped us to infuse more authentic rigor into our classes,” Mr. Bowers said.

Mr. Bowers noted that the adoption of Common Core has allowed a deeper focus on the skills of close reading, analysis and reasoning in many classes. “Students explaining their thinking and analytical processes has become a significant priority,” Mr. Bowers said. “That priority actually extends across the building.”

Also part of the Common Core curriculum is required standardized testing for students. While many other states and communities are in outright defiance of these requirements, the Mequon-Thiensville School District implements them regularly with little conflict. “We implement the Aspire Early High School exam to freshmen and sophomores,” Mr. Bowers said. “All juniors take the ACT in March as well.”

As Common Core is still relatively new in its creation, its effectiveness cannot be fully measured yet. Locally, it has impacted Homestead High School minimally, reinforcing pre-existent values with state regulation. The only question that remains is what impact the rest of nation’s reaction will have on Wisconsin’s neutrality on the issue.