From "Yes, We Can!!" to "Well, You Can... and You Can... but You... Not So Much..."



I was driving from one job to another when I heard this story on NPR's "All Things Considered." You can imagine me spitting out my coffee all over the windshield as audio daggers of dismay assaulted my ear drums. Okay... that didn't really happen, but that's probably just because I didn't have a cup of coffee at the moment I heard these words:

"The State Board of Education were putting in place permanent disparities between different subgroups - Asians at the top, African-Americans at the bottom."

Personally, I think this is the most preposterous move the Virginia State Board of Education could have made in response to low state assessment scores. Any educator understands very clearly that every student does not start their educational journey in the same place. It is not every preschooler that has somebody reading books to them before they go to sleep every night or giving them an abacus for Christmas so that they're more than prepared for kindergarten.  How someone— strike that — a group of EDUCATIONAL LEADERS could make the connection, however, between capability for academic readiness and race absolutely bewilders me.

          Let me preface this paragraph with the following sentence: Forget No Child Left Behind. It’s not our mandate. It’s a challenge, and yes, it is fairly unrealistic. Does that mean we should not be in pursuit of its objectives? No, I believe we agree with the act’s principles, just not necessarily the way we, as teachers, are being asked to achieve the goals based on those principles. It is our job as educators to be on a continual quest towards achieving these goals… period. If you’re an educator and you don’t agree, I know this is not the profession for you. Get out before you do damage in the classroom! Find what you truly love to do because it won’t be teaching… trust me.

          Moving on, Virginia’s heart is in the right place. They’re looking at the data and saying, “Hey, these subgroups are not doing so hot on the state assessments. What should we do?” It’s their answer to this question that is making waves. The state of Virginia has decided (based on the data they’ve acquired) to lower the passing requirements for subgroups that have traditionally not done so well on the assessments.

          How this helps any of the struggling subgroups, I have no clue. All I can see from this is, “Hmm… They’re not doing so well, so let’s lower their requirements. That way, it looks like they’re doing well!”

          This is simply not acceptable. The state has actually agreed to cap academic capability based on race because of historical data regarding the racial subgroups. Why are there even racial subgroups to begin with, you ask? Well, it’s actually a good reason:

“Identifying subgroup performance is one of the most significant accountability components of The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). The law requires that state assessment scores of English language learners and Special Education students, among others, be disaggregated and publicly reported. Meeting this requirement has exposed achievement gaps that are sometimes disguised when state scores are reported in the aggregate, and highlighted student needs that have not been met.” –Education.com

          Now, what the data does not speak to is the minority of achievers within these subgroups. For those of you who haven’t figured it out yet, I’m Black. At the time of my elementary and secondary schooling, I achieved just as well as—if not better than—my racial counterparts. This had nothing to do with my color, the size of my lips or nose, or the fact that I like Oreo cookies. It had to do with my family upbringing and expectations… expectations put on me by my family and expectations I had for myself. Don’t get me wrong either, because I was no overachiever. I often wonder how those years would have gone had I actually tried my hardest in every challenge that came my way.

          What’s my point? Here it is: There are students across the board, regardless of their race, who are high achievers. Virginia is clumping them all together because they look the same. This state is saying, “Even though you achieved higher than your White and Asian counterparts, we’re not going to expect much out of you since you’re Latino.”

          Now, I have to put a disclaimer out here: I’m not able to find the new set of educational goals mentioned in the news article, and I’m not a reporter, so I don’t know where to find them. I perused the state’s Department of Education site and even checked out their 2012-2017 Comprehensive Plan to no avail, but maybe I wasn't looking closely enough. I would love to be able to read exactly what their goals are and their reasoning behind these modifications. If any of you readers come across a relevant resource, I would love to learn more.

          Furthermore, how do you feel about this? I want you to share your thoughts, positive and negative. Educator or not, I’m interested in understanding the opinions of those who see this as a good move, quite frankly. How could state leaders go in this direction?? Maybe those of you who voted for a governor who would appoint these individuals share like-minded principles of which I am extremely unaware, but by which I am certainly intrigued. Please… educate me (keep in mind I’m Black, so I won’t be held to the same learning standards and requirements as the rest of you, but I tell you what, I’ll try to do my best to pay attention to what you have to say anyway).