Uncommon Power from Uncommon Wealth: The Gates Foundation's National and State Level Influence surrounding the Common Core

Abstract

The recent rise of big philanthropy has led to an increase in foundations’ policymaking influence in various sectors of government, with this power having been especially wielded in the realm of education reform. This study focuses on the Gates Foundation’s influence during the creation and adoption of the Common Core State Standards. During the Obama administration’s Race to the Top program launched in 2010, the Gates Foundation was profoundly influential at both the federal level (through national advocacy and a public-private partnership) and the local level (through distributing grants to states and districts to help with implementation).

Since much of the existing literature on the Gates Foundation and broader education philanthropy focuses on foundations’ efforts at the national level, my study analyzes the Gates Foundation’s work at the state level. Using an original dataset of Gates Foundation’s grants from 2008 to 2015, I show how the amount of Gates Foundation funding given to individual states leads to a slightly greater likelihood of Common Core State Standards adoption. My analysis finds that state characteristics such as political leaning, economic background, and student academic achievement also positively impact Common Core adoption.

Based on my research findings, I contend that the Gates Foundation’s work at the national level is more effective in implementing reform than at the state level because it leverages public dollars that are ten times larger in scale. By promoting adoption within the federal Race to the Top program, that Gates Foundation was able to channel billions of federal dollars in incentives, when the foundation itself could only offer millions. Policymakers and government officials were persuaded to endorse the Common Core Standards because of the supportive consensus they saw amongst think tanks, business leaders, and teachers’ unions across the political spectrum; however, all of these groups were funded by the Gates Foundation. Additionally, the Department of Education had an unspoken public-private partnership with the Gates Foundation due to personnel overlap and similar policy goals.

Via advocacy and public-private partnerships, the Gates Foundation has gained political influence and been able to shape a billion dollar federal program. This case study shows how policymakers can be influenced to spend public dollars to fulfill private philanthropic goals. Big philanthropy has the potential to enhance or threaten democracy by leveraging public funds towards positive or negative goals. Policymakers should be wary of the megafoundations’ power in contemporary society and they should create safeguards against unduly large philanthropic influence.