Education Sec. Arne Duncan Apologizes For Common Core Comments

Told superintendents "white suburban moms" were not pleased their kids were not doing well on exams linked to Common Core

Education Secretary Arne Duncan apologized this evening for using "clumsy phrasing that I regret" when talking about opponents of the Common Core academic standards.

Duncan told a gathering of state superintendents of education on Friday that "white suburban moms" were upset because their kids were doing poorly on new, more rigorous exams linked to Common Core. "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 … and that's pretty scary," Duncan said. The remark kicked off a firestorm of protest, including a Moms Against Duncan page on Facebook and a petition calling for Duncan's ouster.