The attempt to create common standards and assessments in education obliges individuals to revisit some longstanding debates about the capacity of the American intergovernmental system to adapt to new policy demands. Some observers remain skeptical that states have the political will or administrative capacity to develop and adopt higher policy standards on their own--particularly for their most disadvantaged and least politically powerful members--absent federal money/mandates/leadership driving the effort. Are there examples from outside of K-12 education of successful multi-state efforts to create common standards? What lessons can be gleaned from existing interstate ventures? This paper seeks to broaden the discussion around "common" standards and assessments in K-12 education by analyzing the long-term governance challenges such efforts pose and by identifying models whereby common standards and assessments have been created in other policy sectors. Education Compacts and Agencies (As of 2003) is appended. (Contains 34 footnotes and 1 table.)