Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee says fellow conservatives should “stop the fight” over Common Core education standards and instead consider the benefits the benchmarks offer students in struggling schools.

Huckabee’s comments Friday put him at odds with a significant bloc of Republicans, including many of his potential rivals for the 2016 presidential nomination.

Huckabee acknowledges the standards have become politically “toxic.” But he says parents from both parties should stop fighting the standards, which states voluntarily adopted and describe what reading and language skills students should learn in each grade.

Tea party-styled conservatives brand the standards as one-size-fits-all prescriptions that have the backing of President Barack Obama. Teacher unions oppose having their members graded on how well students learn the more rigorous skills.