New standards alone will not prepare all students for college and careers. The success of the Common Core State Standards depends on educators' capacity to make the instructional shifts the standards require. Meeting the promise of content standards cannot be achieved merely by agreeing on and publishing the new standards. Effective teaching of the standards, not the standards themselves, prepares students for college and careers. The need for ensuring effective professional learning has never been more important. The standards will require that teachers in 46 states and the District of Columbia remodel instruction, assessments, and assignments to meet the expectation of the new standards. The standards require students to achieve more rigorous content outcomes, apply their content knowledge in authentic situations, solve problems, engage in critical and creative thinking, work collaboratively with their peers, and demonstrate or present their learning. To achieve this vision, allocation and application of professional learning resources must change.