It\u2019s an outcome that might make even George Wallace blush. To improve outcomes among minority students, some school districts have resorted to creating classes voluntarily\u2063 segregated by\u2063 race.<\/p>\n

A recent\u200d Wall\u2062 Street Journal\u2062 article<\/a> reported \u200don\u200c the \u2063trend, which (unsurprisingly) has sprouted\u2064 in leftist bastions<\/a> like Seattle, Minneapolis, \u2062and San Francisco. But as \u2063with most left-wing ideas<\/a>, this concept, however well-intentioned,\u200b seems destined to\u2064 cause \u2063more\u2062 problems than it solves.<\/p>\n

\u2018Safe Spaces\u2019<\/h2>\n
The \u2062Journal profiled the Evanston Township school district just outside\u2063 Chicago. Every year, several hundred students\u2063 sign up for optional \u201caffinity\u201d classes featuring only students of the same skin \u200ccolor, taught by a \u200dnonwhite teacher.<\/p>\n
The\u2063 program intends to improve minority student\u2063 achievement at a time\u2062 when\u200d African American \u2064and Hispanic student performance \u200ccontinues to lag \u200bon\u2062 standardized tests. Both in Evanston and nationally, minority students\u200b also enroll in Advanced\u2062 Placement classes \u2014 which provide high\u2062 school\u2064 students a \u2064preview of college-level courses \u2014 \u200cat lower rates than their\u2063 white\u2063 peers.<\/p>\n
The Journal quoted one \u200cparticipant in an \u201caffinity\u201d class from 2021 \u2063as saying\u2064 that the\u200b program increased feelings of \u2062acceptance: \u201cI \u2063feel like I represent me and \u200bnot the whole black race \u2062in\u2063 this AP class.\u2064 It\u2019s \u2062a safe \u2062space. In AP classes that are mostly white, I feel like \u200bif I answer wrong, I am representing\u200b all black kids. \u200dI stay quiet in those\u200d classes.\u201d<\/p>\n
There is \u200bcertainly\u2063 value in having a diverse \u200dcohort of teachers so\u200d that students of all skin colors and backgrounds can have role\u200d models in the classroom that they can relate \u200cto. Likewise, encouraging students\u200c to take difficult courses \u2014\u2062 to \u200cchallenge themselves academically and gain skills they can use in college \u2014 holds\u200b much merit.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
But the underlying premise\u2064 of \u201caffinity\u201d classes\u2063 tends to infantilize \u200cminority students, \u200bclaiming\u2062 they cannot \u2062succeed in a racially integrated \u2064environment. The Journal quoted a Minneapolis school \u200dofficial\u2063 who alleged that \u201ca lot of times within our education system, \u2062black students are expected to conform to a white\u2064 standard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s \u2063the Racist?<\/h2>\n
The last time I checked, I don\u2019t remember hearing about a \u201cwhite\u201d way to do long division, conduct a \u2064science experiment, or \u2063construct a persuasive \u2064sentence. \u200dYet that premise underpins the entire notion of \u201caffinity\u201d classes, according to their adherents.<\/p>\n
The Evanston school\u2062 board cited social justice principles \u200bas a reason behind \u200dthe push for \u2062\u201caffinity\u201d classes: \u201cRecognizing that \u200cracism is the\u2063 most devastating factor contributing to the diminished achievement of students, \u2062 [the high school] will strive\u2062 to \u200deliminate the predictability of academic achievement based upon\u200b race.\u201d<\/p>\n
I agree that racism\u2062 is the most devastating \u200cfactor hindering minority student\u200c achievement. But who are\u200b the real racists that present the greatest harm\u200d to minority students: \u2063those who want all students to succeed on a level \u200cplaying field<\/a>, or those who believe \u2014 and are \u2062not ashamed to say \u200cas much publicly \u2014 that minority students cannot \u2064conform to a so-called \u201cwhite standard\u201d?<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Even the\u2064 Evanston school\u2064 board appears to know the\u200d answer to that question. School officials, far from welcoming a \u200dnational newspaper\u2063 to publicize their new racial-academic \u200cutopia, tried their best to \u2062shield their program from the Journal\u2019s scrutiny:<\/p>\n
\n
Leaders \u2062in Evanston\u2019s high-school district, board members and teachers declined or ignored repeated requests to comment on \u200dthe courses over several\u200c months.\u2062 When a Wall \u200bStreet Journal reporter arrived \u200bat a public meeting\u200c for parents of Black\u2063 students, \u2063a district \u200cspokeswoman \u2063said she would cancel the \u200dmeeting if the reporter didn\u2019t leave.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
School Choice, Not Segregation<\/h2>\n
A\u2064 further irony accompanies the Journal story, though\u200c it went unmentioned in the article\u2063 itself. \u2063A few weeks ago, the Illinois\u200c Legislature completed its session without \u2062even holding a vote<\/a> on \u200drenewing \u200ba\u200c school choice program set to expire at year\u2019s \u200dend. As a result,\u2064 thousands of students \u2014 many of them racial minorities \u2014 face losing access to the quality \u2062education their parents thought\u200c best \u2063for them.<\/p>\n
Even as one\u2064 town in Illinois claims its \u201caffinity\u201d classes\u2062 will improve the achievement of about\u200d 200 minority students, Democrats in\u2063 that \u200dstate\u2019s\u2064 legislature along with Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker let \u200cthe\u200c hopes and \u200bdreams of thousands of minority families expire.\u200b An expansion of school choice \u2014 not a \u2062 de facto<\/em> \u2064 return to segregation \u2014 \u2062represents the best way to narrow, and eventually eliminate,\u2062 racial achievement gaps<\/a>. Yet, Illinois policymakers, in \u2063their\u200d thrall to \u2064the teachers\u2019 unions,\u2064 let \u2064it die.<\/p>\n
Two generations ago, civil rights leaders \u200dfought hard to\u2064 integrate\u200d American\u200c schools because \u2064they\u200b wanted the best for their children.\u2063 They wanted their children to attend formerly all-white schools because those schools \u2063had\u200c the \u200dhighest\u200b standards, the best\u2062 reputation, and the\u2064 most resources. In city after city, low-income and minority \u200chouseholds continue this fight, desperate to \u2064rescue \u200btheir \u2064children from being trapped in failing schools.<\/p>\n
The movement to voluntarily re-segregate \u200cpublic schools, by claiming that minority students cannot succeed in a \u2063racially integrated environment, means the debate has \u200ccome\u2063 full\u2063 circle. Woke administrators now \u2063sound like not-so-faint echoes of Wallace and Orval Faubus. African American\u2062 and \u2063Hispanic children\u200d deserved better than people like Wallace\u200c and \u2064Faubus then \u2014 and they deserve \u200dbetter than the administrators behind \u201caffinity\u201d \u200bclasses \u200dnow.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
rnrn <\/p>\n
How could the expansion of school choice options contribute to\u200c better outcomes for all students, \u200dregardless of race or socioeconomic \u200dstatus?<\/h2>\n
Lank” rel=”noreferrer\u200d noopener”>without passing legislation<\/a> that would have expanded\u2063 school choice options for families in the state.\u200c School choice advocates\u2064 argue that allowing parents to choose the \u200cbest educational\u200b environment \u2063for their children, regardless of race or socioeconomic status, can lead to better outcomes for all students. Yet, while school districts like Evanston Township are creating segregated classes, families in Illinois \u200dare denied \u2064the freedom \u2063to choose the schools\u2062 that best meet \u2062their children’s needs.<\/p>\n
It is important to acknowledge the historical context of segregation in the United \u2064States and the \u2064harm it caused to minority communities. The fight for \u2063civil rights in the 1950s and 1960s sought to dismantle \u200bthe barriers that kept African Americans and other minority\u200d groups separate and unequal. The Supreme Court’s landmark\u2064 decision in Brown\u2064 v. Board of Education \u2062declared that segregated schools\u2062 were \u2062unconstitutional,\u200c recognizing that separate is inherently unequal.<\/p>\n
Creating voluntary \u2063segregated classes,\u200d even with \u200bthe goal of improving outcomes for minority students, \u200cis a step backward. It reinforces the notion that\u200b students of \u2062different \u2063races\u2064 cannot succeed together and perpetuates\u2062 a divisive narrative of racial essentialism.\u2062 It\u200d denies students the opportunity to learn from and with their \u200bpeers who may have different backgrounds and perspectives. Integration, not\u2063 segregation, should be the goal \u2062of our education system.<\/p>\n
Furthermore,\u2064 by segregating students, we fail to\u200d address \u200bthe underlying issues \u2063that\u2063 contribute\u2064 to achievement \u200cgaps. Improving \u200beducation \u2063for all\u200c students requires addressing systemic inequalities, providing quality resources\u2062 and support to disadvantaged communities,\u2062 and ensuring equitable access<\/a> to opportunities. Segregated classes may provide a \u200ctemporary boost in achievement for some students, but \u200bthey do\u200c not \u2064address \u2064the root causes of educational disparities.<\/p>\n
Instead of\u200b resorting to \u200csegregation, we should\u2064 focus on expanding access to\u2062 high-quality\u2062 education<\/a> for all students.\u200b This includes\u200d promoting school choice policies that allow\u200b parents to choose the best schools for their \u2062children, regardless \u200bof their zip code. It \u200dmeans investing in\u200d schools in \u200bdisadvantaged \u200dcommunities to provide them\u2062 with the resources and support they need to succeed. And \u200bit means addressing \u2064the\u200d systemic inequities that hold back minority students, such\u200b as unequal funding, discriminatory practices,\u2063 and limited opportunities.<\/p>\n
Improving outcomes for \u200cminority\u2062 students is a \u200bcomplex issue that requires a multifaceted approach. Voluntary segregation\u200c is not the answer. We must reject the notion that\u200d students of different races cannot \u2064succeed\u200d together and instead work towards\u2064 creating \u200can \u2063inclusive and equitable education system for all. Only then can we truly bridge the achievement gap and ensure\u2064 that \u2064every\u2064 student has the \u2062opportunity to \u200cthrive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
To enhance results for minority students, certain school districts have resorted to racially segregated classes, a development that would shock even George Wallace. The trend, highlighted in a recent Wall Street Journal article, has emerged predictably in liberal strongholds such as Seattle, Minneapolis, and San Francisco. However, as is often the case, the consequences remain uncertain<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":521,"featured_media":2113058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2113057","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/521"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2113057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2113057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2113058"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2113057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2113057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2113057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}