Well, We Used to Have a Dream. Now We Just Have Quotas.
To borrow a gimmick from Glenn Reynolds, they told me when George Bush was elected that we’d have a separate set of rules for white people and black people.
With the goal of creating a “restorative school culture and climate” that conveys a “sense of belonging to all students,” the board is insisting that its schools reduce its suspensions and/or expulsions of minority students to the point that the data reflect “no ethnic/racial disparities.”
From the section of the 52-page plan titled “Restorative School Culture and Climate,” subhead, “Discipline”:
“School data that show disparities in suspension/expulsion rates will be examined in detail for root causes. Special attention will be dedicated to data regarding African-American and Hispanic students.”
Other Posts of Interest:
- “I Pledge to Rat Out My Parents for Fishy Commen…err…Stay in School.”
- The New Secretary of Education is A Mixed Bag
- Are College Diplomas Overrated?
Category: Edyookashun
My mom was an elementary school teacher for over 30 years and this kind of madness was one of the very things that led her to retire. As she and other teachers would often say, "I understand the reasons children misbehave may be different, but the end result is the same. Their misbehavior affects an entire classroom and because of it, other children do not get the education they need and deserve because teachers are too busy dealing with extreme behaviorial problems."
The rules for every school system are set in black and white and should be color-blind. Follow them or be asked to leave–it's that simple. If children–who are much smarter than people often give them credit for–learn they can act anyway they please without fear of suspension or expulsion, many classrooms will become a free-for-all, with teachers struggling for control and no one learning anything.
Could someone please tell me what the liberal theory of education is one more time? Is it "It's okay if our kids are as dumb as gravel and as ill-behaved as rabid beavers as long as they feel good about themselves?"
Yeah, I thought so. . .