Ron Sachs/DPA/ZumaPress.com
Among the prospective field of Republican presidential candidates, few issues are as divisive as Common Core, the national educational standards that have been adopted by 45 states. Those in favor: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. Those opposed: Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. As I explained last year, some conservative activists like Glenn Beck have come to view Common Core as a Trojan horse for President Barack Obama’s globalist dystopian agenda. Given the tea party automatic backlash to all things Obama, right-leaning education reformers who think Common Core is a good idea have gone so far as to ask Obama not to mention the program in his Tuesday State of the Union Address.
Now, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, widely seen as a 2016 presidential contender, has made his move—he’d like to have it both ways. Per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:
In a speech at the State Education Convention in Milwaukee, Walker said he is working on legislation that would create a commission, chaired by Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, to revisit the Common Core standards, which he said weren’t high enough and were being dictated by people who weren’t from Wisconsin.
“We embrace high standards in the state of Wisconsin,” Walker said. “There’s got to be a way for us to put our fingerprints on it.
Walker’s position reflects the unsettled nature of Common Core opposition. Despite months of fighting from conservative groups (including the John Birch Society), support for the curriculum standards remains relatively high in Wisconsin. According to a new poll from Marquette University, 50 percent of Wisconsin voters approve of Common Core, with just 34 percent opposing.
