Berkeley's Unbearable Whiteness of Science

American Thinker ^ | January 04, 2010 | Thomas Lifson

[neverdem]

The racial madness that has left-wing America in its thrall finds its apogee in the Berkeley, California public schools. Berkeley High School is now poised to eliminate science laboratory classes because "science labs were largely classes for white students." Eric Klein writes in The Easy Bay Express:

The proposal to put the science-lab cuts on the table was approved recently by Berkeley High's School Governance Council, a body of teachers, parents, and students who oversee a plan to change the structure of the high school to address Berkeley's dismal racial achievement gap, where white students are doing far better than the state average while black and Latino students are doing worse.

Five science teachers will lose their jobs if the proposal is adopted when the School Board meets next week:

It will come before the Berkeley School Board as an information item at its January 13 meeting. Generally, such agenda items are passed without debate, but if the school board chooses to play a more direct role in the High School Redesign, it could bring the item back as an action item at a future meeting.

All Berkeley High students, whatever their race, would lose the opportunity to get a solid grounding in science, opening up the door to achievement in higher education and life via scientific study. Notes Klein:

Mardi Sicular-Mertens, the senior member of Berkeley High School's science department ... who has taught science at BHS for 24 years, said the possible cuts will impact her black students as well. She says there are twelve African-American males in her AP classes and that her four environmental science classes are 17.5 percent African American and 13.9 percent Latino. "As teachers, we are greatly saddened at the thought of losing the opportunity to help all of our students master the skills they need to find satisfaction and success in their education," she told the board.

So in order to "help" black and Latino students, the idea is to eliminate the opportunity for said students to make something of themselves through science. Those students who excel will be disfavored, while those who do not will be given more resources. The problem is that science training is one of the elements of educataion least susceptible to the multicultural indoctrination that pervades education in Berekeley and far too many other places. Replacing science with something dreamed up by the education-school-trained "experts" is unlikely to bring any improvement, even for its purported beneficiaries.

The sheer racism of identifying science as something primarily for whites seems not to penetrate the addled minds of those who fancy themselves advocates for black and Latino students. The absence of any consideration of Asian students is also striking. The city of Berkeley has more Asian households (12,641) than black households (10,874) or Latino households (8,466).  

Consider that the university which makes its home in Berkeley and dominates both local employment and community's character has a majority undergraduate population of Asian students, thanks to the fact that California voters approved a state law eliminating racial preferences in state institutions. The science majors at the University of California, Berkeley overwhelmingly comprise Asian students. U.C. Berkeley also boasts 21 faculty members who have won Nobel Prizes, primarily in the sciences. The list of laureates includes two Asians and one Latino, all three science winners.

Aside from the repulsive racism of this move, the broader issue to be considered is whether society is better-served by cutting down the achievers and investing in the stragglers -- or whether everyone benefits from the achievements of those who apply themselves enough to excel. I have no hesitation in saying that I am in the latter camp. How does it benefit anyone to have an America made up of mediocre minds?

As a matter of simple justice, it makes no sense to favor those who do not adapt to the norms and expectations of schooling and persist in behaviors that lead to failure. Berkeley High's worse-than-average performance among black and Latino students almost certainly has something to do with the ideology informing its approach to racial problems. Teaching people that they are victims does nothing to encourage excellence. But rather than reconsider its failing efforts, Berkeley High is doubling the dosage of a medicine that isn't working, and which carries bad side effects.

If the Berkeley public schools go ahead with this plan, they deserve condemnation and ridicule on a national scale.

Hat tip: Larry

Thomas Lifson is editor and publisher of American Thinker.

[ArmyTeach]

Bezerk-ley

[goodnesswins]

The RACISTS are at it again! i.e.....the DEMONCRATS/COMMIES of schools.

[SatinDoll]

Oh, I sense an opportunity for private schools in Berkley. This is craziness in spades: since one group isn’t doing well academically we will punish those who succeed.

Reminds me of Obama’s governing, doesn’t it you?

[Godwin1]

This is the future: all must be reduced to the lowest denominator. Talent, hard work and productivity must be punished. God Help us!

[TheThinker]

This is an act of blatant racism against whites.

[ActrFshr]

This will help minority students at BSHS do better on state mandated competency exams that include science.

Where’s the left now? They get all over Kansas for their science preferences but this is OK?

[Minipax]

Will they get rid of detention because it is largely for blacks?

[spodefly]

How progressive!

[hosepipe]

Unfortunately.. 97% of black voters voted for Barry Half-White..
3% of them are Smart..

[onedoug]

Berkeley & science. Gasp! How un-PC!

[neverdem]

Oh, I sense an opportunity for private schools in Berkley. This is craziness in spades: since one group isn’t doing well academically we will punish those who succeed.

Reminds me of Obama’s governing, doesn’t it you?

It's just another variant of reverse discrimination. These chickens will come home to roost too when they lose the independents who lean to the rats.

[Michael.SF.]

If the Berkeley public schools go ahead with this plan, they deserve condemnation and ridicule on a national scale.

Actually, they deserve condemnation and ridicule on a national scale, regardless of outcome of the decision.

[J Edgar]

Exhibit No. 101 - Liberalism IS A MENTAL DISEASE - as so elegantly diagnosed by Dr. Savage!

[Godwin1]

School Board members need to read the “Bell Curve.” Some problems can’t be fixed.

[darkangel82]

Socialism punishes success, as it was intended to.

[Boucheau]

...and the trees are all kept equal, by hatchet, axe, and saw.

[EDINVA]

“Oh, I sense an opportunity for private schools in Berkley.”

In a regular/normal town, yes, but Berkeley, I doubt it. Do you remember there was a thread on here not too long ago about a mural at BHS, pure commie stuff. Anyone who opposes this enlightened, progressive movement would have long since vacated that town. I wouldn’t even stay there with my kids in private school. How they expect their kids to be accepted into any decent college without science classes is well beyond me.

[ComputerGuy]

My wife is a high school teacher. The advanced studies program at her school was all white and asian. It was terminated because.....
I'll bet you can't guess :)

[HiTech RedNeck]

Get rid of the dismal comparison between black and white in science classes by getting rid of science classes.

Huh. Makes a lot of sense. Not.