"The Common Core educational standards have become so politically fraught that it is easy to forget why so many states decided to adopt them in the first place," said an opinion piece in The Economist.

Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin have battled over the standards, yet none of these states pulled out. And states that have repealed the standards have faced challenges. Indiana even ended up adopting new standards very similar to the Common Core.

Meanwhile, numerous states say their curriculum is Common Core-aligned, yet have not introduced the new assessments. Currently only 27 states plan to use the aligned tests this year.

"The next few years will be bumpy," The Economist noted. "Political opposition will likely grow, particularly after parents discover their children are not testing well. More states could drop out formally or become 'zombies'—ostensibly maintaining the standards but neglecting the tests that would show whether they are meeting them."

Read the full article.