Actually, Let’s Not Disaggregate More Educational Data By Race. Calls to do so are politically motivated and ignore statistical reality.

James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal ^ | April 12, 2023 | Henry Bauer

[karpov]

Writing for the Martin Center in January about universities’ flawed attempts to practice social engineering, I criticized in passing the American habit of breaking down nearly all official data by race. “So long as official bodies continue to publicize statistics embodying racial categories,” I predicted, “racial preferences and stereotyping will continue to weaken our educational institutions.”

What I didn’t mention, but might have, is that this weakening threatens other social institutions as well, because categorizing people by race carries with it unspoken but inevitable assumptions. Among them is the idea that “race” is the single overwhelmingly significant fact about every human being.

This presumption is illustrated by much contemporary public discourse—for example, “Black Lives Matter” and other social movements—and by the attempt to remove from language anything that might be taken as a racial slur. Hence such usages as “the n-word” or the practice, designed to signal a virtuous lack of racist denigration, of always capitalizing “Black” but not “white.” This preoccupation with race is also exemplified by the following letter, dated February 1, 2023, and received by the Department of Education:

In order to address long-standing racial and ethnic gaps in bachelor’s degree attainment that could be exacerbated by a Supreme Court decision that may bar institutions of higher education (IHEs) from considering race in their admissions processes, the Department of Education (ED) should expand its collection of admissions data and disaggregate that data by race and ethnicity, as it already does for gender. [Emphasis added.]

Among the three dozen signing organizations and individuals, the letter’s organizer may well have been Education Reform Now (ERN), since the letter is posted on their website.

[Tell It Right]

Group educational data by:

1. If child lives with both parents.
2. If child even knows who her father is.
3. Age difference of parents to child.
4. If child has realistic career goals to strive for besides "I'm gonna be a NBA star".

[House Atreides]

“… 4. If child has realistic career goals to strive for besides “I’m gonna be a NBA star”.”
****************************************************

“I’m gonna be a billionaire rapper” is far more realistic.

[BenLurkin]

Best way to end racism is for everyone to stop focusing on race. For example, no more “Black Lives Matter”.

[Myrddin]

There is a fundamental flaw in this argument. Race is used to confer special preferences in access to education and employment. Having received the special preference, the results of the preference are the fruits of the process. Good intentions should bear the scrutiny to evaluate the results. If the results fail to justify the expense of applying the "good intentions", the "good intentions" themselves need to be updated to cease wasting resources that don't generate the intended outcome.

The only way to evaluate the success or failure of the "good intentions" is to identify the individuals who received the preferences vs those who did not and measure the results. The author seems to want to avoid the consequences of measuring the results. The people paying the price to extend these preferences are entitled to an accurate report on whether their "investment" has a positive rate of return or whether they are just being fleeced to placate the recipients of the special preferences.

[lee martell]

“Disaggragate” was a temporary speed bump in my reading, until I assumed it meant “Separate by category”.

[frog in a pot]

The author of the article may want to expect some degree of blowback from easily excited readers and groups.

[Tell It Right]

I lead financial small groups in my mostly black church. I wish I had a dollar for everyone who came through my group fussing about their version of keeping up with the Joneses, which was trying to have all the flashy bling like what's on rap videos. I tell them that the bling and cars in the media are either fake or rented. They usually research during the week and come back the next session saying I was right, and loudly tell the others in the group to quit chasing the flashy status symbols touted in black media.

We almost always then discuss materialism in general and how the world lies to us, telling us materialism will bring us joy. True joy comes from Jesus. Being a good steward with what God blesses us with brings us more stable happiness than trying to be like people we'll never meet -- and those people in the media aren't in real life how they portray themselves anyway.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

[House Atreides]

“… We almost always then discuss materialism in general and how the world lies to us, telling us materialism will bring us joy. True joy comes from Jesus…”
**************************************************************

For sure. Our American culture went off the rails when “celebrities” became what we idolized.

[cgbg]

Nothing irritates “experts” more than statistics that conflict with their narrative.

All factors should be considered—including race.

[notdownwidems]

double negative alert!

[Farmerbob]

[... easily excited readers and groups.]

Most of them stopped reading at “Disaggragate”.

[ConservativeInPA]

Just get government completely out of education, statistics included. It’s a waste of money. The number one thing that can be done to improve higher education is to remove all government backing of loans. Let’s see how many woke banks will lend to students in “studies” majors.

[sphinx]

True, but for current political purposes, that graph travels better if you include the Asian and Ashkenazi Jewish curves as well.

Race neutrality and objective assessments are NOT tools of white supremacy. Everyone (apart from the complete fools) knows this. The left lies about it incessantly.

[from occupied ga]

The article has a good point. Not going to happen though since all democrats and most blacks are obsessed with race.

[DannyTN]

You can't manage what you don't measure.

I say continue collecting data by race.

• See Candice Owen's address to congress on their failure to address the real problems in black communities.
• Recognize improvements. We've come a long way.
• Recognize legitimate problems.

[No name given]

Yeah, that’s what Morgan Freeman (the actor, not the documentary director) said!

[nicollo]

Data killed education. Every time they find some statistic they don’t like, they merely change the standard.

As a high school teacher it always amazed me how the crap studies my boss brought in for us to use for the latest pedagogical technique foisted on us were invariably based on some study of 4th graders. I’ve seen a studies on high school ages, but none that made sweeping claims as do the K-8 studies.

Why? Because teaching is an art not a science.