An analysis by an education policy think tank finds that the common academic standards many states will be adopting are clearer and more rigorous than those currently used in most states, reports the Associated Press. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute analyzed the standards in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and found that the Common Core State Standards are more rigorous than those in three-quarters of all states. Only three states had higher standards in English, while none were better than the Common Core standards in math. The Common Core standards have been adopted by 25 states, and about 40 are expected to sign up by September. The state-led initiative aims to establish a uniform set of expectations on what students should know by the time they graduate high school…