It's back to school season and for many children, teachers, and parents across the country school looks very similar. That's because in 2009, the Common Core was introduced, standardizing what K-12 students should know, and be tested on. Professor Nicholas Tampio describes what that means for public education and imagines a different way forward for America's schools.

For More on this Topic:

• Read Tampio's opinion pieces in Aeon and HuffPost
• Check out his book, Common Core: National Education Standards and the Threat to Democracy
• Find Jesse H. Rhodes' article on education politics in Perspectives on Politics (paywall)