Monday, December 28, 2009

Berkeley High School May Cut Science Labs, Fire 5 Science Teachers Because They "Benefit Whites"...

I wonder how Asian people feel about this.

From Weasel Zippers:

Berkeley High School is considering a controversial proposal to eliminate science labs and the five science teachers who teach them to free up more resources to help struggling students.

The proposal to put the science-lab cuts on the table was approved recently by Berkeley High's School Governance Council, a body of teachers, parents, and students who oversee a plan to change the structure of the high school to address Berkeley's dismal racial achievement gap, where white students are doing far better than the state average while black and Latino students are doing worse.

Paul Gibson, an alternate parent representative on the School Governance Council, said that information presented at council meetings suggests that the science labs were largely classes for white students. He said the decision to consider cutting the labs in order to redirect resources to underperforming students was virtually unanimous.

5 comments:

Damien said...

Pastorius,

Okay, how is cutting science classes supposed to help with this problem? It might free up more resources, granted, but science is one of the most important subjects out there, especially if we want to compete with other societies, since we don't have cheep labor. As for the failing minority students, did anyone on the faculty actually think to look into why they are failing? Off course this wouldn't apply to all of the minority students, but in many cases could it have something to do with the way their parents are raising them or their attitude towards school work? And who could the science labs be "largely classes for white students?" Aren't those classes mandatory and even if they are not, what about the minority students who do take them? Also isn't this kind of racist? So what if the science labs are tending to benifit white students more? Its not like these don't benefit the minority students at all? They're allowed to enroll in them aren't they?

Pastorius said...

Damien,
You're absolutely right. This is racist, and it will negatively effect non-white people more than it will negatively effect white people.

White people being, in general, more affluent will simply pay extra money for science tutoring. Meanwhile, "minority" kids won't even know there is such a thing as science.

Damien said...

Pastorius,

Which means that many of them might end up seeing their only way out of poverty through joining gangs and drug dealing. Good job Berkeley High School.

Pastorius said...

Yep. Political Correctness exacts an awful toll on "minorities".

In the future, this will be recognized as the blight it is. And, it will be called an extension of racism, apartheid, and slavery.

As of now, it is called kind-heartedness.

Epaminondas said...

Anyone know any good online mandarin and cantonese classes?