Over the past few years, lawmakers have quickly enacted major, sweeping education reforms, and they've done it largely under the radar. The US' new education standards for kindergarten through 12th grade, known as the Common Core, were instituted across the majority of states with little pushback despite the strongly divided opinions of educators and leaders. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation was instrumental in making the reforms a reality — the foundation stepped outside its normal operating arenas and funneled money to gain broad support for the reforms. In as little as two years, schools across the country implemented the standards in one of the most incredible lawmaking stories in recent memory. The Washington Post has the full rundown on how Bill Gates and the foundation made the changes stick, and there's a 30-minute interview with the Microsoft founder as well that's worth checking out.