How does MCPS determine race/ethnicity?
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Anonymous
Because they're following federal requirements. |
Anonymous
They track the data so that they can see if there are problematic inequalities in how they are treating students for disciplinary matters and how students are performing on a variety of metrics. If you check the AA/Black box your child will not get any “special treatment” but for statistical purposes of evaluating how the school system is serving its students they might be considered AA/Black. However, at a certain point the school might question you on the designation. |
Anonymous
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MCPS also has a diversity hiring initiative. So it's not just a box kids check. Schools love hiring "role models" for kids, which is understandable.
IMO, it's gotten a little out of hand. My friend, who's Iranian, checks the white box, too, and doesn't consider herself a minority. In fact, many ME kids, who are indeed olive-complected, check the white box. I wish we could focus on culture instead of skin color, but the issues around under-performing students often center on race. And now ESSA focuses on performance gaps that also center on race. So even a small minority of under-performing kids can decrease a school's rating. |
Anonymous
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Diversity hiring is intended to match the available pool of candidates, so it’s nit intended to hire AA teachers as role models. It’s supposed to ensure that employers are doing their best to hire across racial boundaries. For example, if 20% of qualified teachers are Hispanic, school systems should strive for 20% of their QUALIFIED teachers to be Hispanic. It does not force schools to hire a particular percentage or to hire less qualified teachers based on race.
At least, that’s the point of EEO initiatives. I don’t know what actually happens in the school system. |
Anonymous
Well, at the very least, parts of America have difficulty talking about those subjects without feeling like their privilege is threatened. |
Anonymous
Funny 
Officially shouldn't he be considered African American (just like Indians are white, but they belong to "Asians")? |
Anonymous
Are you Egyptian, too? What do you mark yourself? |
Anonymous
No I am not Egyptian. I just feel the system used here to group people is a bit funny. Examples including: putting people from Latin America as "Hispanic" (how about people from Spain?) putting people from India as "Asian" (aren't they white too?). How about people from North African countries like Egypt, are they considered "white", or "African American"? |
Anonymous
India is in Asia. The Census Bureau has said in the past that people from the Middle East, Arab countries, North Africa, and Iran are white. There was an effort to put a separate Middle East/North African category on the 2020 Census form, but the Census Bureau said no. In any case, anybody can categorize themselves however they like. |
Anonymous
Yup. For the National Center for Education Statistics reports: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/raceindicators/ |
Anonymous
MCPS went to Puerto Rico after the hurricane to hire teachers who speak Spanish. https://rockvillerampage.com/13668/news-briefs/mcps-travels-to-puerto-rico-to-recruit-bilingual-teachers/ |
Anonymous
And these are the federal definitions of each category: American Indian or Alaska Native: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and maintaining tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. Black or African American: A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. White: A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. Hispanic or Latino: A person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race. |
Anonymous
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Iran and the middle eastern countries are part of the Asian continent. How do they even classify themselves as white?
And to the pp who asked if Indian people are white. No, we are not. We are brown. The few light skinned Indians you may have seen are just that - a few. Most of us are brown skinned. |
Anonymous
| White, Asian and everybody else |