Reply to Are AP-type classes racist?

Forum Index » Schools and Education General Discussion

Reply to "Are AP-type classes racist?"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I am a teacher in a school system that does have significant racial inequities.  My observation is that the problem isn't that "AP-type classes (are) raciest" as much as it is that the pathway to get to AP classes begins with TAG selection in elementary grades, and the TAG identification process is without a doubt racist and inequitable.[/quote]

This.
We keep identifying problems yet refusing to address root causes. You can’t fix inequity in HS, college, or beyond by putting on band aids. 
Dumbing down AP classes helps no one. Neither does taking them away. You want more kids to be ready for AP? Fix early education.[/quote]

You need to start prior to that. Students from low-income homes (white and black) enter school below grade level. It is a constant race to catch up to expectations. Very bright kids can and do catch up with no extra intervention. Many others have the deck stacked against them. Poor attendance, lots of mobility, etc. These reasons and others prevent them from catching up. If you want these kids to reach their full potential, intervention needs to start in the home from the very beginning. I teach in a Title 1 school and we have a 3-year-old program. Students are assessed three times per year for receptive vocabulary. Native English speakers of all races typically enter the program with a receptive vocabulary of an 18-month-old. These students are typically developing.[/quote]

So you're saying that the school's 3 year old program still doesn't help with getting these kids to grade level? (not being snarky, I'm really curious). I always thought that high quality daycare, like the kind white and Asian families choose, would be the answer.

Then if the answer isn't even daycare, it's parents and the family. It seems like there's two worlds- one where kids are fed healthy food and read to for 30 min a day and the other where they aren't. How can this be fixed? It's not a poverty thing either, I know plenty of poor families that care very much about their kids education. My best friend makes 35k at a non profit and her husband is a SAHD (both PhDs), they live in a 1 bedroom with their 3 kids and are happy as clams. Smartest kids you've ever seen. [/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics