Walker Calls On Legislature To Repeal Common Core Standards

Gov. Scott Walker released a statement on Thursday calling upon the state Legislature to repeal the Common Core State Standards when it convenes for a new session in January.

Walker has advocated for changing the educational standards in the past; however, this is the first time he has directly called for a repeal from the Legislature.

Walker wrote in his one-sentence statement:

“Today I call upon the members of the state Legislature to pass a bill in early January to repeal Common Core and replace it with standards set by the people of Wisconsin.”

The Common Core standards are part of an initiative sponsored by the National Governor’s Association to create consistent guidelines across the country regarding the math and language skills students should have at any given grade level. Wisconsin adopted the standards in 2010, and was among 44 states to do so.

Since the adoption of the standards, a backlash against them has emerged. One common objection from some conservatives is that Common Core represents a federal intrusion into a state issue; another is that it isn’t sufficiently rigorous.

For more on Common Core in Wisconsin, check out a series of articles from Wisconsin Public Radio News’s Kristen Durst on the issue from last year.