Er... what is the Department of Education?
The Dept. of Education does (yet) not have control over state education standards. Common Core was initiated by the National Governors Association and something called the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO).
Of course, what’s at stake is A LOT of Federal Money going to the states, distributed by the DOE
Think of it as Obamacare for Education. How does one go about creating of Federal control over things that were once solely private or local government decisions?