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Published On: Tue, Nov 19th, 2013

Education Secretary Arne Duncan says ‘White suburban mothers’ comments about Common Core was ‘clumsy phrasing’

Education Secretary Arne Duncan had to battle questions and criticisms after his remarks regarding opponents of Common Core, the latest Federal standard rolling out to public schools.

Maryland Common Core standardsDuncan said that opposition was coming from “white suburban moms” who fear that “their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were.”

“I used some clumsy phrasing that I regret — particularly because it distracted from an important conversation about how to better prepare all of America’s students for success,” Duncan wrote in a statement. “I want to encourage a difficult conversation and challenge the underlying assumption that when we talk about the need to improve our nation’s schools, we are talking only about poor minority students in inner cities. This is simply not true. Research demonstrates that as a country, every demographic group has room for improvement.”

Here’s the full remark made by Duncan:

“It’s fascinating to me that some of the pushback is coming from, sort of, white suburban moms who — all of a sudden — their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were and their school isn’t quite as good as they thought they were, and that’s pretty scary…You’ve bet your house and where you live and everything on ‘My child’s going to be prepared.’ That can be a punch in the gut.”

Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers, was interviewing Duncan at Friday’s event and said that Duncan’s larger point has been lost due to the outcry over his comments.

“He was actually saying that these standards are harder than what many states had in the past and fewer kids are going to be passing,” Minnich said.

For an entertaining an intense rebuke, check out Michelle Malkin’s “Brown skinned” response HERE

 

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About the Author

- Writer and Co-Founder of The Global Dispatch, Brandon has been covering news, offering commentary for years, beginning professionally in 2003 on Crazed Fanboy before expanding into other blogs and sites. Appearing on several radio shows, Brandon has hosted Dispatch Radio, written his first novel (The Rise of the Templar) and completed the three years Global University program in Ministerial Studies to be a pastor. To Contact Brandon email [email protected] ATTN: BRANDON

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    […] the Education Secretary Arne Duncan associated race with the critics of Common Core, the new education standard, so some folks are very riled by the discovery in […]

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