Politico (7/29, Simon) reports that, after a “firestorm of opposition...took them by surprise,” supporters of the Common Core Standards have spent a lot of money to convince state legislators to keep the new guidelines. However, the standards’ top promoters admit “they’re losing the broader public debate.” Part of the reason is that schoolwork produced by well-educated kids isn’t interesting, while “a nonsensical math problem” could go viral, even if it has nothing to do with the common core. Similarly, “parents can — and do — blame” the Common Core for confusing material, bad grades, and kids’ stress, even if the new standards aren’t involved. While many “opponents’ claims are misleading or outright false,” they tap “a populist anger” and leave an impression, while supporters have tended to rely on dry facts in promoting the standards and focused on wooing state legislators, not parents. Common Core supporters are planning “a major reboot” of their efforts in which they seek to create anger over the current state of public education and excitement over prospects for change.