Education Sec. Arne Duncan Makes Wild Claim About Why Some 'White Suburban Moms' Oppose Common Core

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan reportedly said on Friday that some of the opposition to the controversial Common Core State Standards is derived from wealthy white mothers upset to learn their children are not as bright as they thought.

“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,” Duncan told a group of state school superintendents, according to the Washington Post. “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.”

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan speaks to students at School Without Walls August 27, 2013 in Washington, D.C. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Common Core State Standards were designed to better the education system and has been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Nonetheless, the standards have ignited controversy, with many critical they actually harm the education system.

Last week a video showing a Tennessee high school senior speaking out against the standards at a school board meeting went viral, enjoying over one-million views as of publication.

This post has been updated.

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