Dumbing down schools in the name of 'equity'
This is the path of national suicide, as Sam Dorman reports for Fox News:
The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) is moving to eliminate all accelerated math options prior to 11th grade, effectively keeping higher-achieving students from advancing as they usually would in the school system. (snip)
"[A]s currently planned, this initiative will eliminate ALL math acceleration prior to 11th grade," he said. "That is not an exaggeration, nor does there appear to be any discretion in how local districts implement this. All 6th graders will take Foundational Concepts 6. All 7th graders will take Foundational Concepts 7. All 10th graders will take Essential Concepts 10. Only in 11th and 12th grade is there any opportunity for choice in higher math courses."
The intellectually gifted among us are a precious resource needing careful cultivation, for they create new knowledge that grows our economy and keeps our national defense strong. This is so obvious that it ought not even need stating.
Educating down to the level of the lowest common denominator will ultimately impoverish and militarily defeat us, a national catastrophe. As Richard Baehr asks, rhetorically: "Do you think China will try this to achieve equity among its various peoples?"
Update: Mark Wauck notes that in Loudon County, VA, most of the students in the advanced classes are of Asian descent and asks:
Is it just me, or does anyone else suspect that this is just a way of slowing down Asians — in the name of 'equity' for those students who are less 'focused' in school? Loudoun County has lots of smart, ambitious Asians and, traditionally, this class of immigrants see excellence in math and science as a way to get ahead in America.
Let's stop hate against Asian Americans!
Graphic credit: Mike Cohen CC BY 2.0 license.
To comment, you can find the MeWe post for this article here.