Posted on 02/05/2010 3:38:06 PM PST by SmithL
Berkeley High administrators this week shared details of a plan to better educate black and Latino kids — much of it for the first time publicly — then got slammed by school board members for not doing so earlier.
Board members also said that the part of the plan that would cut four or five science teacher positions from advanced-placement or college-preparatory classes may happen regardless because of budget reductions.
The proposed science cuts have had parents in a frenzy because high school administrators want to use the approximately $350,000 in savings for "equity grants" to reduce class sizes in other parts of the school, in some cases dropping classes from 33 students to 23.
The board sent the entire five-point plan back to school administrators for more clarification and will hear another presentation in April.
"There's been information that has been construed in different ways," ... "Had we done it more clearly in the beginning, it would have been a more open and trusting discussion."
Board member Nancy Riddle was more blunt.
"I can't do my job when these materials are not provided in advance, nor can the community be informed," she said.
Board President Karen Hemphill criticized "bloggers, e-mailers" and others for fanning the flames of racism and dissent in the community over fears that money for the predominately white science lab classes would be used for black and Latino kids.
In one of the seven small schools within the 3,400-student Berkeley High, 67 percent in advanced placement classes are white, 12 percent are black, 6 percent are Latino, according to Wednesday night's presentation.
Hemphill said she's received many emotional phone calls and e-mails that could have been avoided "if we had all sat back and thought about ways to teach for all our children to succeed."
(Excerpt) Read more at contracostatimes.com ...
Closing it by crippling the white students' education is much easier.
Look for white students to move to other school districts, or consider private school. When middle-class parents lose faith in their kids being able to achieve their potential in public school, that will lessen their interest in the whole concept of government-funded school.
Translated into English: "We're upset that we got caught."
bureaucrats.ruin.everything.
People need to accept the fact that not everyone in school wants to learn, and that the students who want to learn should not be punished because of the children who do not do well in class.
Where are all the leftwing professors’ kids going to go?
I'm sure all those well-meaning liberal white parents will be glad to see their own kids' science educations truncated so a "house" full of illiterates can protect their self-esteem and race-based sense of entitlement.
Outlaw science now!!!
Science is wacist!
Hmmm, I wonder where that missing 15% might be? Nah, couldn't possibly be a minority. Ix-nay on the *sian-ay, it ruins the narrative.
If I'm not mistaken, this is one of the policies advocated by Bill Ayres, the terrorist bomber and friend of Obama.
I’ve never understood why some races need specialized education.
Isn’t it racist to operate under the premise that some people can’t learn as well as other races?
I hate that.
Actually the plan is to use Stalinist tactics to force teachers to inflate minority grades. Each teacher will be responsible for his/her own plan to raise scores. Each teacher will have to report on progress to raise minority scores. Obviously this is a huge incentive to give lots of undeserving black and mexican-invader kids grades they have not earned.
This is really the next step in Affirmative Action. It is no longer enough to over-promote the less qualified because of their race, now we must create entire systems that hide the fact that they are underqualifed.
We're losing the war, people. Some new tactics are required.
Even absurd 'plans' like this are given a full hearing, and usually adopted. What is left of us? We fought for, and believe in a culture of meritocracy but 'the new majority' does not. Time is short. We probably need to do something more than Tea Party to turn our sinking nation around. Berkeley is obviously lost. And, while you might not care, consider the generations of patriotic Americans who built that institution - one that perfected our atomic weapons, created many computer breakthroughs that allow us to use the internet, and all manner of other intellectual accomplishment.
All this is going to be drowned in a sea of mediocre mud. HOW PATHETIC!
Define "racist".
How about this. We give standard IQ tests to incoming kids in first grade. We sort the kids into tracks based on IQ. Above 150 get tutors. 120-150 go into the gifted child track. 95-120 get the normal traditional High School education. 80-95 go into "slow learner" track. Under 75 get life tutors.
Now, if you did this you would end up with a very strong racial skewing. But not an absolute one.
Ever read "The Bell Curve" or "IQ and the Weath of Nations"? IQ matters, it's largely inherited. We're not supposed to notice it, or if we do we are supposed to remain silent about what it implies for the orthodox view of race in America.
I always believed if kids were in the same culture(I mean having the same language and geography), with the same values and opportunities, then they would have the same chances of success or failure, regardless of race.
The problem is easily solved. A two track district one track devoted to college prep and the other track devoted to ethnic studies, the ghetto and/or barrio experience.
Another reason for separation of school and state.
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