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Whereas Walker Calls For Repeal, Burke Strongly Supports Common Core

Burke Called Standards A 'Great Framework' For K-12 Education

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Mary Burke is a member of Madison's school board. Photo: Wispolitics (CC-BY-SA).

Gov. Scott Walker’s call to repeal Common Core has set up a clear contrast with Democratic challenger Mary Burke, a strong supporter of the education standards.

Walker issued a one-sentence statement last week calling on the Legislature to “pass a bill in early January to repeal Common Core and replace it with standards set by people of Wisconsin.” It was the governor’s strongest stand yet on an issue that he mostly did not discuss during the first few years of his term.

Burke, by contrast, is an unambiguous supporter of the standards, as she explained in an interview with Wisconsin Public Television.

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“I think the Common Core, if properly implemented, are a great framework to make sure that our young people are graduating with the knowledge and the skills and the critical-thinking skills that are needed for them to compete for the jobs, said Burke. And right now, our educational standards in Wisconsin are ranked 38th in the country. That’s not good enough.”

Burke, who is a member of the Madison Board of Education, said she thinks anyone who looks in depth at Common Core will see that it makes a lot of sense.

“What it provides is just a framework for each grade and each subject, those types of skills, critical thinking skills that should be developed,” she said. “It’s not teaching to the test, it’s not lowering our standards, it’s greatly increasing them. It’s not a ceiling, it’s a floor. But it’s absolutely needed for Wisconsin to compete for the jobs in the future.”

Burke made her comments before Walker called for the repeal of Common Core. Her campaign issued a statement calling the governor’s decision an election year move to shore up his base.