Duncan sorry for ‘white moms’ remark

Education Secretary Arne Duncan apologized for the comment he made Friday about “white suburban moms” opposing new education standards.

“My wording, my phrasing, was a little clumsy and I apologize for that,” he told CNN on Monday.

Last week, Duncan told a group of state education chiefs that some opposition to the Common Core State Standards came from “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.”

Common Core is a federal initiative that standardizes the English and Math curricula from kindergarten through the end of high school. Forty-five states have adopted the standards.

Critics of the new requirements argue its guidelines force teachers to teach to a test. White House spokesman Jay Carney evaded the controversy at the Monday press briefing, saying he had not seen Duncan’s “full comments.”

Read more on The Hill.