Recent quantitative research on the implementation of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in schools across Arkansas has discovered that teachers' perceptions of job satisfaction, agency, and professionalism are significantly affected by their school leaders' openness towards autonomy, flexibility, and opinions of teachers (Matlock et al. 2015). The purpose of this article is to expand upon these findings by drawing upon survey and interview data collected from a stratified sample of teachers in a mid-southern state to qualitatively examine the effect CCSS have on teachers' perceptions of their agency and professionalism. The authors then present a contrasting view of teachers' positive perceptions that describe circumstances of teacher autonomy and professional agency.