This year's Brown Center Report on American Education represents the third installment of volume three and the 13th issue overall since the publication began in 2000. Three studies are presented. All three revisit a topic that has been investigated in a previous Brown Center Report. The topics warrant attention again because they are back in the public spotlight. Part I summarizes the recent controversy involving the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and its treatment of Shanghai-China. Part II is on homework, updating a study presented in the 2003 Brown Center Report. Part III is on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). [For the 2013 report, see ED586315.]