The Obama administration can’t seem to resist wading into state discussions about standards and tests, the guideposts that direct what is taught in local schools.

At issue is the Common Core State Standards Initiative, which seeks to set national criteria for instruction in English and math. The administration has tried to bribe states into adopting the national standards, using a pot of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top grants to sweeten the deal for those who go along. It also directly funded the national assessments that are aligned with the Common Core national standards, and it has tied No Child Left Behind waivers to adoption of the common standards.