This dissertation investigated the degree to which economic trends in the United States, since the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, have influenced subsequent education policy from 1983 to 2010. It aimed to examine the interrelatedness of economic trends within American society, as defined by employment, earning power, and the gap between the rich and poor; how corporate and private philanthropy have created the economic impetus for educational foundations; and how corporate needs, as dictated by economic trends, influence educational policy. This influence effectuated the inception of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), an educational reform movement that has resulted in the expansion of government, the advancement of a nationalized curriculum whose primary concern is developing “college and career readiness” skills, and the establishment of new industries driven by the demands of markets associated with a nationalized curriculum.