La Crosse Diocese Rejects Common Core Standards for Schools

The Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., will be “neither adapting nor adopting” the controversial Common Core State Standards, the Catholic school superintendent has told The Cardinal Newman Society. And last week, Bishop Robert C. Morlino of Madison, Wis., joined a growing number of diocesan leaders who are refusing to conform to the Common Core in their Catholic schools.

Catholic Education Daily spoke to another Wisconsin diocesan education leader this week on the topic. “We are neither adapting nor adopting [the standards], we are using Common Core as a resource,” Dr. Susan Holman, superintendent of schools for the Diocese of La Crosse, told CED by phone. She explained that since the standards will drive the creation of and content for standardized testing, it is important that the diocesan education system monitor the standards because, “we need to know what is expected of our students.”

Holman went on to make clear, though, that “there won't be any change in how or what we teach.” She also stressed the centrality of the Faith in their education system, “What we do in the diocese is teach according to our curriculum, and we have a Catholic curriculum.”

Cardinal Newman

That would put 3-2 against Common Core

La Crosse: Diocesan
Madison: Diocesan
Green Bay: Diocesan
Milwaukee: Common Core
Superior: Common Core