Thursday, December 16, 2010

Diversity Thursday

Behind every Diversity Bully is a sad, little, insecure child.

You know the kind, when they can win a game they turn over the game board. So again, let's visit the mindset that rules the Navy manpower world via the CNO's diktat.
After weeks of debate that touched on academics, race and politics, Evanston Township High School District 202 approved a dramatic plan Monday night that eliminates a combined honors English and history course for the highest-achieving incoming freshmen -- usually white students.

The unanimous school board vote paves the way for freshmen of all races, socioeconomic and achievement backgrounds next fall to take the same freshman humanities course next fall. Proponents of the move see it as a way to diversify advanced courses and circumvent the traditional process of tracking students into courses by test scores that often places minorities in lower-level classes.

The board approved the plan despite opposition from hundreds of parents who signed a petition urging officials to at least delay the proposal while it can be studied further.
You see, logic and performance mean nothing. You don't acknowledge, encourage, or promote excellence. Excellence doesn't matter. Only one thing does.
Evanston, the liberal and diverse home of Northwestern University, has one of the most racially mixed high schools in Illinois. It also has a mission of embracing diversity and promoting equity and excellence for all students.

But its own data show that few minority students make it into the school's most rigorous honors and Advanced Placement courses.
Therefor, it must be killed. You see, it is much easier to tear down than it is to build up. If nothing else, the intellectually lazy like the Diversity Bullies like lazy.

Hat tip ProteinWisdom.

38 comments:

The Usual Suspect said...

It takes a lot of hard work and effort to better one's self.  Playing the race card and indulging in the soft bigotry of low expectations is a much easier route.  And people wonder why the academic performance of students in this country is falling and failing...take a look at what passes for leadership.  It isn't black or white; it is yellow and spineless.  A little morale courage would go a long way.

your name here ! said...

Here in the St pete area, AP offerings in HS will soon be open to all who want to enroll. Regardless of past achievement or demonstrated ability to master AP material. The rationale being that all students be allowed to participate in a challenging curriculum. That idea has some merit, but other than a lottery, how to select students for the limited seats available. Hmmmm, maybe a quota will turn the trick. Too many geeky girls in the advanced math anyhow :-D .

andrewdb said...

>promoting equity and excellence

I'm not seeing much of the second in this story.

borhbemo@yahoo.com said...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron

Anonymous said...

slowing the whole herd isn't the answer....the wolves still need to eat someone...

Minority said...

The school board made a decision but not the best one. How about allowing anybody with the prerequisites to take the course? Now all those up for the challenge can be challenge. Not just a few. Some will take it and fail. Some will get D's and C's. Some will excell. But they will all be challenged far more than they would in a regular class.

Anonymous said...

The kids with high scores simply transfer schools.  When the end of year tests are graded and the school's results are significantly lower than last year, they'll probably scratch their heads and wonder what happened.

LT B said...

I think LEX posted this a few weeks ago.  It is sad.  Think about it.  There is a meme amongst a lot of minorities that to be educated is to be White.  To speak properly is to be a Wanna Be, etc.  So there is an attempt to put down those that study and learn by calling them Oreos, etc.  Additionally, they don't have to work hard to get into college due to the decreased expectations, so they don't.  A Black professor wrote that he could have gotten A's but knew that w/ his skin color, he did not have to.  He put out enough for C's and B's to get into a good university.  Now he's complaining about his Black (American not African or Carribbean) students not giving a $h!t or trying hard.  Expecting a decent grade based on their color and maybe a sense of brotherhood that he would feel w/ them.  The minorities are not held down by rampant racism and exclusion any more.  Now it is a social meme holding them back.  You can argue letting them into the classes will break that and I will argue that you are full of poo.  I've been in  advanced classes w/ lower level students thrown in and they were more a distraction and took the teacher's efforts to discipline or explain rudimentary principles.  This is idiotic and will drag that school district and if it spreads out, will drag the nation down.  Sad.

SWOINATOR said...

And the US continues to fall behind in education from the rest of the world. Things like this are the reason.  Excellence is replaced by "fairness" and "equality". No one gets an F, everyone gets a trophy. We all have group hugs and watch from the sidelines as the world leaves us behind.

Sad, very sad.  I need a happy place. :'(

Byron said...

There's a damn good reason why I not only talked the kids out of keeping the grandson in public school but also help them with the bills to go to a small private school...this is it. He's a straight A student, never has a behavior problem and doesn't need a gun put to his head to get his homework done. He's taking a college level course in logic and making an A, even though this class really pushes him hard. That's the point though: If you don't challenge students to rise to the level of their dreams they'll surely sink to the level of your expectations.

butch said...

Yeah, but our students rank #1 in self esteem.  So we got that going for us.

(We are so boned.)

scuppers said...

CDR,

Bigger news I think is to watch what happens this year at the Service Academies. Diversity recruitment for the academies, which has been funded through Congressional earmarks of approx $1.5M per academy, are not funded under a continuing resolution. DoD is prohibited by law from putting money into a program that is not funded by Congress, (no internal plus ups).

Wharf Rat said...

Ultimately - this is another proof source that elections matter.  Where the Tea Party, and conservatives in general, haven't made a difference is in the local school and municipal elections.  These school board member didn't get the memo that liberalism sucks.  They clearly didn't get the memo that they were crushed on on 11/2/2010.

The only way to fix this is to beat them down.  Trying to change the mind of these lost people will not work.  They will continue to affect issues like that until we beat them down.

Hopefully smart parents will find away around this. 

Dave Navarre said...

Exactly why my parents put my siblings and I in private schools.

The School Board forget that when no one is allowed to move at a faster pace than anyone else, some of your smart students get bored and become behaviour problems, which doesn't help the mainstream students learn either.

The Usual Suspect said...

You only need to be the second to the slowest to survive the wolves.

Minority Sailor said...

All,

        I think the school board made the right call.  If a kid is up for the challenge then I say allow him/her to take the course.  We should never turn away a kid who is striving to take the tougher classes.  We should encourage them.  Some will get A's - some will not.  But atleast they are stepping up to the plate. 

      Instead of us wasting time and resources to prevent this from happening, we should focus on how we can get the school additioanl resources so they can have more challenge classes.  Remember - the sin is not failure but low aim.

       For those who want to be privilidge and only a few select in the class.  Then I say you have a choice and you can pay for that in private school. 

Minority Sailor

Southern Air Pirate said...

Read the news story again. The powers to be decided that the AP/Honor courses are to be canceled since not enough minorities students were able to achieve entry into the class. So instead they will offer a watered down version of the AP/Honor course to everyone. If that happens how does that make a student stand out for a college selection board.

Or to put it another way. If cause all the PO1's were getting NAM's for just being at work and the command decided that everyone got a NAM, how does a PO2 competeing for the Flying WO program or that E-3 applying for STA21 stand out at his command?

The answer is no one stands out and instead some good preformers are held back cause we feel a need to level the playing field for those that don't want to do more the the bear minimum.

Byron said...

You have any idea how much it disgusts me to see you posting as "minority sailor"? There's only one color in the Navy, and it's Haze Grey. There's NO setting yourself apart from the rest of the sailors in your unit, for when you do, you doom the unit to failure or worse. Either everyone hangs together as one, or they'll all surely die apart.

Get with the program. The wolvevs are sharp upon your heels.

Stu said...

Indeed, there is something to be said for letting people aim high.  However, if the class in question is simply open to whomever decides to take it, then it will cease to be what it previously was.  In other words, the "toughness" will most certainly go away and it will become nothing special at all.  But you are correct about the "choice" and that is why the public schools (and even private schools now) are withering away from what they once were.    

The goal of the education system should be to provide the righ education for the appropriate level of student regardless of the amount of melanin in their skin.  Even so, there needs to be academic standards.  Absent such, we will cater to lowest common denominator.  Not my idea for success. 

The answer here is not to open the honors class to everyone but rather raise the bar on the regular classes with rigorous and honest grading. 

Stu said...

These school board member didn't get the memo that liberalism sucks
-----------
Neither have many of the Navy's Flag Officers.

Stu said...

<span>These school board member didn't get the memo that liberalism sucks  
-----------  
Neither have many of the Navy's Flag Officers.</span>

The Usual Suspect said...

People want to earn advancement; at least the people I know.  If you are just given something for showing up, it lessens its value.  What happened is an example of the entitlement mentality and you are just propogating it.  Scarce resources have to be allocated where they do the most good.  If we spent half as much money on advanced placement and magnet programs as we do on making sure everybody has high self-esteem, maybe we could find some solutions to the problems that plague the system and we could raise all boats instead of dumbing down the entire system.  Merit, you know advancement and placement based on performace and abilites, have you ever heard of it?

The Usual Suspect said...

<span>People want to earn advancement; at least the people I know.  If you are just given something for showing up, it lessens its value.  What happened is an example of the entitlement mentality and you are just propogating it.  Scarce resources have to be allocated where they do the most good.  If we spent half as much money on advanced placement and magnet programs as we do on making sure everybody has high self-esteem, maybe we could find some solutions to the problems that plague the system and we could raise all boats instead of dumbing down the entire system.  Merit, you know advancement and placement based on performance and abilities, have you ever heard of it?</span>

Minority Sailor said...

Gents,

           The standards and expectation for the class needs to remain the same!  My point again is to not deny services to those who are willing to pay the price.  At this stage I say challenge all who are willing to go for it and do not lower any standards.  Do not allow the system to take the easy road and only challenge a few.  Make the educational system provide for all those who want that challenge that meet the prerequisite (e.g. had this previous course, etc.). 

           As for watering down the class because weaker students are allowed to take it - are you kidding me?  Keep the standards the same and you will be surprise what the students are capable of.  The students will earn their grades.  Nobody is asking for something for free.  Just an opportuinity to take the challenge courses like the other students.  If the school system can not afford to have the # of challenge courses that meet the demand then they should focus (as well as the parents) on what to change to give the students what they need.  That is the real issue and somewhat of a good news story.  More and more students are demanding to be challenge.  They are stepping up and desire the challenge.  We need to provide it for them.  Again - failure is not the sin but low aim is.  LET THEM AIM HIGH!!!

Minority Sailor said...

Level the playing field?  Or provide equal access to the top tier courses that people qualify for.  Just something to ponder my friend.

Stu said...

Either you are for standards or you aren't?  The class in question had academic standards for entry that applied equally to everyone regardless of the amount of melanin in their skin.  Therefore, you should have nothing wrong with such an honors program for those that are gifted.

Now, if you want to advocate raising the level of education in the non-honorsr classes, no one will disagree.

There is no good news story here.  The answer by this locality was to simply let everyone in who applies and this will certainly water it down as the instructor will have to concentrate on those who simply aren't up for it.

Minority Sailor said...

Byron,

         I like this blog even though I disagree with  a lot of it.  I am just now posting as to provide a different view point.  Hopefully good discussion can come from it and everybody can be enlighten from various view points.  Have been in the Navy a long time.  Have seen combat and been successful.  People in the Navy are set apart in many ways and we all work together to achieve the objective.  You can not help but notice the differences --- but yet we all figure it out for we are professionals.  I use Minority Sailor to let everybody in this anonymous blog know I am a minority and a sailor.  Nothing more - nothing less.  Sorry it offends you so much but what makes our Navy and our country the greatest in the world is tolerence for different beliefs/ideas.

Lobotomized said...

"minority sailor" - I'm going to be blunt - you have missed the point of the CDRs post.  This is not about letting "anybody wanting a challenge to step up to the plate" but essentially giving everyone the same course regardless of their abilities.  Read the entire article - here is another excerpt:

<span>Among other concerns, parents felt top-performing students could be bored or held back in classes that cater to the abilities of a wide range of students. The class scheduled for elimination is designed for freshmen who outscore about 95 percent of peers nationally on eighth-grade tests.

Now, those students will be melded with all incoming freshmen able to read at the ninth-grade level, which the high school defines as scoring at or about the 40th percentile on the achievement test given to eighth-graders. All freshmen in the class will have the opportunity to earn honors credit, depending on their grades on assignments.

A small number of students below the 40th percentile will be in a different class, to get more help.

The district wants to apply the same approach to freshman biology in 2012-13.</span>

I think its interesting that the school system thinks that just getting higher grades in a "regular" class is equivalent to getting an "Honors class".  



On a side note, the only thing that counts as a "minority" sailor in my book is an uncommon NEC.

OldCOB said...

Minority Sailor - I concur with the others in that you have truly missed the point.  In addition, when you state "<span>get the school additioanl resources" I can only deduce that you mean throwing more money at it.  Not much of an option since the school districts with the highest expenditures per student are also the habitually worst performing.</span>

The morons in Evanston are trying to level the playing field by pushing everyone down instead of bringing the low performers up.  Just another indcitment of the public school system in the U.S. where equality apparently means equal outcome instead of equal opportunity.

Since I understand what he means I'll overlook Byron's snub of the Submarine Service with his Haze Grey comment.

OldCOB

LT B said...

Awash the Naval Academy creed! :-P

Minority Sailor said...

Your point is valid and we need to gaurd against that (lowering standards).  Keep the class at the same level it was.  People will fail but allow them to try.  Do not even for one second slow the pace down and bore the top performing students.  By keeping the standards high and having the non 95 percentile students engage as well you will bring others along.  

I doubt you will have a ton of students running to a class that they could easily fail.  Only those who want the challenge and are willing to work hard will accept it.  As for the requirement to get in - I would make it class (subject) dependent (e.g. prerequisite).

Nice discussion -

LT B said...

Awash the Naval Academy creed! :-P

LT B said...

Poor assumption Sailor, it is already open to all races but right now minorities are being out performed so the top performers (many Asian ironically which Blacks and Hispanics will disqualify as a minority for these purposes) get in. This will quit the meritocracy for statistics and perceptions.

LT B said...

DC is a great example of lots of money with crap output. I suspect that this district mirrors that as well. It seems education that goes (forgive the pun) old school tends to work beat but runs counter to the union desires.

Retired Now said...

Hate to quote NBC Television national news, but their story on how American students last year tested 23 rd in the World in Math, really hurts.

Turns out CHINA and SOUTH KOREA scored #1 and #2 in the World in mathematics.     Since this is a Navy blog (mostly), perhaps we should just bite the bullet and have at least our (relatively) low tech Amphibious ships constructed in South Korea.    You know,  on time,  on budget,  great quality.    heck the South Korean shipyards will even DESIGN your ship for you and build it in amazingly fast time frames.  

This blog will be discussing this story sometime in 2011, maybe late Winter.   USS AMERICA LHA-6 is starting to fall further and further behind their ambitious building plan.   ( I think some executive yardbird wanted to make a name for himself and push the construction time way down to fewer months and less manhours).    So, perhaps in February or March,  this blog will be analyzing just how USS AMERICA could get so far behind sked and over budget.     Can't we build anything here in America ??   Well,  let's blame the entire public school system for lowering the expectations all across all subjects for all students.

Seriously, America's schools are just ingraining terrible work ethics and low motovational standards into each generation.    Time to drastically change all American schools , so that at least our country can construct a ship named USS AMERICA.

UltimaRatioRegis said...

On the contrary, they keep telling us we are morally bound to embrace it.  Non-politically, of course.

That is just what I want.  Have the moral courage of Mike Mullen, and the apolitical purity of Gary Roughead.   Turns the stomach.

I would rather have kidney stones than be like either of those two.    

John said...

Remember, No child left behind means no child can get ahead either.

Southern Air Pirate said...

"<span>Your point is valid and we need to gaurd against that (lowering standards).  Keep the class at the same level it was.  People will fail but allow them to try.  Do not even for one second slow the pace down and bore the top performing students.  By keeping the standards high and having the non 95 percentile students engage as well you will bring others along.  </span>I doubt you will have a ton of students running to a class that they could easily fail.  Only those who want the challenge and are willing to work hard will accept it.  As for the requirement to get in - I would make it class (subject) dependent (e.g. prerequisite). "

How can you keep the levels high when everyone is allowed to enter, even those who couldn't make the pre-req? Remember that most pre-reqs for an honor or AP class come from either standardized testing the year before or from a specialized test the district administers.
How can you keep challenge there when you have people who shouldn't even compete properly into a class? Think of it like this, do you want some one to preform a complicated heart surgery on you, if that said person couldn't even pass the testing to enter even the Doweslicem and Howe school of medicine?
That is the problem here, the standards and the levels for this school district's AP/Honors class are going to be lowered simply cause the district is afraid that since certain personnel aren't applying for the school program and there for aren't graduating with thess classes on their transcripts, ergo there must be a problem. Since, they also can't get rid of those classes since they bring visability from colleges/univserstities, and federal money, and if taught properly actually give your students a step up at college level since they may equal 100 series classes. So they bring the level of instruction down so that all can play, so instead when reviewed by the state colleges, will probably lead to the designation of AP/Honor being stripped from this district. Then no  one wins.