In an apology on CNN Monday, Arne Duncan conceded “his wording” and “his phrasing” had been “a little clumsy.”
The education secretary claims he meant to say that “children from every demographic across this country need a well-rounded, world-class education, and frankly we have challenges not just in our inner cities but in our suburban areas.”
But what actually came out of his mouth was this: At a meeting with state school superintendents Friday, Duncan said he found it “fascinating” that much of the criticism of the Common Core State Standards was coming from “white suburban moms who [realized] — all of a sudden that — their children aren’t as brilliant as they thought they were, and their schools aren’t quite as good as they thought they were.”
The Common Core State Standards are a nationwide education reform that’s generated opposition across ideological lines. In New York, education leaders find themselves under attack because student test scores have dropped since the Common Core was embraced. Defenders say that’s because tests based on the new standards are tougher and give a more accurate reading of whether students are learning.
For too long, suburban American parents have been told their schools are little Lake Wobegons, where every student is above average. If Duncan wants parents to back reform, we suggest that instead of blaming “white suburban moms,” how about telling them the truth.
Which is that even our suburban public schools aren’t as good as the teachers unions pretend — and your kids will pay the price if we don’t fix them.