TeacherKen, aka Kenneth Bernstein, posted this statement by a parent on his blog at the Daily Kos.
Arne Duncan unleashed a firestorm when he asserted that parent opposition to Common Core testing stemmed from the disappointment felt by “white suburban mothers” when they found out that their child was really not brilliant and that their public school was not so good after all.
The mother who wrote this post was told again and again that her child was not brilliant. She fought for him. He prevailed. She doesn’t want him or other children to be judged by Arne Duncan’s “rigorous” standards.
It is hard to unpack exactly what Duncan had in mind when he spoke disparagingly of America’s children, their teachers, and their schools.. He seems to think that American children have too high an opinion of themselves and he thinks most of them need to be brought down a few pegs. And he has a very low opinion of most public schools.
I wonder what kind of a coach Duncan would be. Would he tell the players day after day that they are terrible and consider that he was providing leadership?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Well, we saw how NFL players seem to think bullying makes players tough…
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I just finished my own letter to Arne, It’s a little long but I wanted to share:
Dear Secretary Duncan,
I am a white suburban mom, and I’m reaching out to you in an effort to explain what seems to be very confusing to you. Your statement on Friday that some of the foes of the Common Core are “white suburban mothers who find out all of a sudden their child isn’t as brilliant as they thought they were” leads me to believe that you’ve been spending too much time in DC. Perhaps you would like to come to Long Island and meet with some of us, and our friends who are not white, living in suburbs, cities, and in rural areas. It might do you some good, and help you to reframe your thoughts on those of us who have been advocating for our children.
I don’t like to be lumped into any one group. I’m actually a pretty complicated individual. Initially you tried to convince people that the only people who oppose the Common Core are Tea Partiers. Let me assure you, I’m about as far from a Tea Party member as you could imagine. I am a Progressive, bleeding heart liberal. I not only voted for President Obama twice, but I donated to his campaign and volunteered to knock on doors. My husband and I brought our family to both Obama Inaugurations.
Just so you’re clear that I’m not a bored housewife, I work full time. I am also an elected Board of Education Trustee for the Comsewogue School District, and my local public library. I’m a Uterine Cancer survivor; this month marks one year cancer free for me after two years of very difficult treatments. I’ve been a very active member of my community for many years.
I’m a mom to four kids. My oldest daughter is in her Sophomore year at Simmons College in Boston majoring in Economics (she was ‘College Ready’ before the Common Core). My second daughter is a Senior in High School, and a member of many Honor Societies. We are in the midst of her college application process now. My only son is in 7th grade, and he is very creative, but struggles academically. After advocating for him for many years, I was able to get him an IEP and the services he needs. My youngest daughter is in 5th grade, and also has an IEP. In addition to her academic struggles, she has epilepsy.
Now that you know a little more about me, let me explain to you very clearly how I feel about the Common Core implementation. I am not completely opposed to the idea of common set of standards throughout the country- although I believe any state that adopts such a measure should do so on its merits, not because they were offered money in exchange for its adoption. I think another word for that is extortion. I’m also not opposed to high standards. I love the idea of making all children strive to be the best they can be, challenging them to imagine more for themselves, and encouraging them to work towards goals- as long as we realize that they will not all reach the same level of proficiency.
I am, however opposed to standards, and more specifically curriculum, that are developmentally inappropriate. I am strongly opposed to the number of standardized tests students are subjected to, which have no bearing whatsoever on their education. I believe the money schools are forced to spend on the administration, and scoring of all the testing could be put to much better use, and the same goes for the amount of time spent on testing. I’m also opposed to the 1%- Bill Gates, et al imposing business model mentality on public schools.
It’s certainly not, as you implied, that I have some unrealistic idea of my kids abilities- I don’t. I’m very aware of their strengths and weaknesses. I know that each of my children have different learning styles, and I recognize that what worked very well for my oldest daughter will absolutely not work well for my youngest. I am confident that my kids’ teachers know that as well. They have the education, experience, and expertise to differentiate instruction for varying abilities and learning styles. The Common Core is a one size fits all approach to millions of different minds… it cannot benefit every child- especially those with learning disabilities. It also completely ignores the effect of poverty on achievement. No silver bullet education program will have the kind of success you are looking for nationally unless you address child poverty.
By the way, you might want to have a chat with New York Education Commissioner John King, because he is certainly not doing you any favors with regards to getting the suburban moms on board with the Common Core. He and his department have botched the implementation of CC here at every turn. They created a curriculum, EngageNY, that is rife with errors, intentionally confusing, and very poorly written. He’s had several public forums around the state that have not gone well. He’s listened to parents, teachers and administrators speak about how our children hate school, are feeling defeated, are being forced to read and interpret reading passages that are developmentally inappropriate, and on and on, but he ends every meeting with the same refrain. “We stand united in our effort to move forward with the implementation of the Common Core. Now is not the time for delay.” Honestly, the time for delay was years ago, when states adopted the standards before they were even completely written.
The rest of the country is watching what we ‘suburban moms’ do now, so thanks for the shout out. One more thing you should know about me- I’m incredibly stubborn. I assure you, I won’t back down. I will not stop advocating for my children. I will not let you, or Commissioner King experiment with my child’s education because Bill Gates has lots of money to throw away. He said himself it would take a decade to see if his “education stuff” works. My kids don’t have a decade to waste on your hunches or his money.
Again, I would encourage you to visit some of us suburban moms before you dismiss us. I would be happy to host you in my suburban home at any time that is convenient to you. I’m no Bill Gates, but I make a mean chocolate chip cookie.
Sincerely,
Ali Gordon
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Ali- that is a wonderful letter. It sums up perfectly what I was feeling. Now if only he would read it…
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Yes Common Core is “One size fits none.”
Wonderful letter.
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Wonderful letter. Do you mind if it is shared?
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A+ !
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Arne Duncan is the head bully in a bullying system that has become pervasive from the top down. The weakest and most vulnerable,our children, are the helpless victims.
The only way to stop this is to dismantle the Dept of Education. It is doing more harm than good. States and communities can manage their own schools without Dictator Duncan!
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Being from Illinois, I am quite familiar with Arne Duncan’s career. His main qualifications for this job is having an excellent jump shot and playing with the President. Secretary Duncan should thank Craig Robinson, the brother of the First Lady for introducing them. His other qualification comes from ingratiating himself among the billionaire education reformers first in Chicago and then the nation bysaying and doing the things they want.
I can’t say I am disappointed by this administration’s policies since I predicted them when Obama bypassed Linda Darling-Hammond at the end of 2008 in favor of Duncan.
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“. . . and playing with the President.”
HHHHHHMMMMMMM!! Is that so????
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I think we should also talk about what bad TEACHERS they are.
They’re all insisting that the Common Core is wonderful and all parents would be embracing it if we just knew the One True Truth (Duncan says everyone but him is lying about public schools) but they can’t seem to impart this knowledge to parents.
They’re making all kinds of excuses; unions, ‘special interests’, pesky and interfering suburban moms, but why can’t they teach anyone about the Common Core?
Duncan and King and Tisch need to hire a teacher to explain their program to parents. They absolutely suck at teaching 🙂
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Diane, nice use of some CCSS wording. . .”unpacking.” 🙂 That term is used quite a bit by curriculum coaches these days.
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And, seriously, if I have to hear the term “unpacking” at one more “professional development” session, I’m going to throw something!
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It’s right up there with “21st Century Skills,” “Global Economy” and “College and Career Ready” in terms of how often it is used
in those sessions, huh?
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Yep. Pass me the air-sickness bag!
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From the AP:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he regrets his “clumsy phrasing” in singling out white suburban moms for opposing new higher academic standards.
In a statement released Monday, Duncan defended the sentiment that parents need to realize schools aren’t performing as well as they think — but said that applies to all parents, not just suburban moms.
Duncan faced criticism from conservatives, parents and teachers unions over his Friday remarks about critics of the Common Core State Standards. The remarks were reported by Politico.
Duncan has consistently shown little patience for critics of the standards being implemented in 45 states and the District of Columbia. But his comments went a step further and added elements of race and class.
He says he regretted the remarks, but did not apologize for them.
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Somebody needs to remind him that we sent a man to the moon before the existence of the Department of Education.
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“He says he regretted the remarks, but did not apologize for them.”
Most of us sincerely regret sticking our feet in our mouths.
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And sometimes that requires an apology.
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Yeah, Duane. I’m tired of people regretting their actions rather than just apologizing. I don’t care whether you regret being a rude fool; I just want you to apologize for being one.
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I heard on the way home from school (calling Arne, do you know what that is?) that he wrote an “apology” yesterday. Granted that was on NPR. Anyone got the tweet, blog, etc. . . where the supposed apology is?
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Appointing unqualified people to positions in government as political favors is the major reason our educational system is so dysfunctional.
The mental health of America’s children is now an environmental health crisis
because of a political favor!
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Teacher’s will always advocate for all students- even those who may not, or cannot meet the Common Core Standards. Special needs students deserve to have their own individualized education plan considered before test scores. Clumsy phrasing or not- the gifted, autistic student demonstrates growth every day…and let’s all thank the teacher Mr. Duncan!
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Awesome! Thanks you, to the Mom who wrote it.
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Duncan did NOT say that our kids are wonderful, unique individuals & that the CCC will help them reach their potentials. He did not say that their teachers are dedicated professionals, or that the school administrators work diligently to ensure that each child has the best shot at all the benefits a solid education can offer, AND that he feels that the Common Core will be a great tool in their hands.
He very effectively said that our kids are STUPID!!! And that we all are delusional! He also implied some very negative, very false things about white, suburban mothers, suburban mothers who are not white, women in general, all fathers, and parents in lower socioeconomic situations. He invoked some VERY ugly stereotypes and prejudices.
How is this man in the position of overseeing education in the United States of America?
When the dust clears, I bet his take will be huge.
But what do I know? I’m just a white suburban mom.
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