Using an RSS reader is an entirely new thing for me and I love it! I found it easy to scroll through dozens of news items and find ones that were interesting to me. On the npr education site I found one item I could not pass by. The title does not clue you in to what caused this news item to strike a chord with me.
“California teachers may get racial sensitivity training”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16466271
I found this article made me stop and reflect, eventually leaving me with more questions than answers. The article discusses the achievement gap which they defined as the difference in test scores in students of different ethnic groups. The standard explanation for this has been poverty, but new research is pointing to race. Many people, with different opinions, were interviewed for this story. Some discussed what they called racial bias which they believe occurs when the race of the faculty in no way represents the race of the students. A former school superintendent felt that this gap in performance makes minority students feel left out. I find the use of the word minority interesting when 55% of the students are Black or Latino, which is clearly is not a minority. Teacher associations in California feel teachers are being blamed for yet one more thing.
This article leaves me with a sense of curiosity and questions I want to ask. I’d love to see responses and questions it raises for you.
How important is a diverse faculty to the success of students?
Are we ready to discuss research that shows the achievement gap is not the result of economics?
What are schools doing (or not doing) to create an environment that works for all students?
My favorite quote from the article: “If poverty is no longer the only factor…..You have to start asking a different question. What else is going on?
Entries (RSS)