Suppose you were an alien trying to understand how people in the United States feel about the Common Core School Standards for Mathematics (CCSSM). You could look at the Internet, mass media, YouTube and all of the other venues available. Walking away from them, you would be very confused about whether the U.S. loves or hates the CCSSM, whether testing is a part of the standards, whether the standards are a requirement of No Child Left Behind, etc. In this article, I consider the adoption of the CCSSM through a historical lens. The article looks at three previous efforts to change the way students experience learning and how those efforts unfolded. Conclusions discuss those areas most important for ensuring the continued adoption of CCSSM.