We discuss education a lot on my show. People are rightly concerned about many issues involved in educating our children. Vaccinations and masks are currently in the spotlight, but they are far from the biggest problems we face on the education front.
Politics has injected itself into every aspect of the education experience. From social agenda driven policies and curriculum to funding and legislative mandates on spending we’ve lost sight of the goal- to teach kids how to learn and to think critically. One recent political act has gutted the value of a high school diploma.
It happened without fanfare and almost without notice. Oregon’s governor signed a bill in July that removed proficiency requirements in reading, writing and math from standards for graduating from high schools in their state .There’s a bigger problem than the governor signing off on this idiotic idea. A month earlier this dropping of standards actually passed the Oregon legislature.
The vote in the Oregon House was 38-18.In the Senate it was 16-13.By a two-to-one margin in both legislative houses this bill was seen as a good idea. It extends until at least the end of the 2024 school year. This bill brings the very picture of equity to bear on Oregon students. Everyone is treated the same regardless of interest, effort or results. Everybody who attends gets a diploma. Now, every diploma is worthless.
There were plenty of excuses for supporting this bill. The coronavirus was the genesis. Then, the special interests got involved. The group Foundations for a Better Oregon heralded the bill as, “…what every student needs to thrive in the 21st Century.” Supporters said considering math and reading as essential skills created an unfair challenge to students who do not test well. The governor’s office statement said it would benefit black, Latin indigenous, Asian, pacific islander, tribal and students of color.
Could that statement be any more racist?
Opponents pointed out that lowering standards did not help Oregon’s students. I believe they were right. Instead of focusing on helping students who struggle for whatever reason, this bill leaves them to flounder and then drags down those who do achieve by making their accomplishment unrecognizable from those who had none.
Of the many obvious problems with act, the tacit racism of those who believe the non-white, or students of color faction, is incapable of performing well in school is glaring. Also in play is the clear evidence that “equity” in the minds of the supporters of this law harms not just those they perceive as advantaged, but those very students it’s intended to help.
Sending a child to make his way in the world without the ability to make or read a grocery list, follow a memo at work (if he’s been able to find a job with a now-worthless diploma), do the simple math required for his job or balance the checkbook for his family is a severe disservice. Equating the uneducated child with the educated is unfair to the students, yes, but also to all future employers who used to be able to use the high school diploma as an entry point for employment discussions. It’s a slap in the face to the already troubled education system indicating that it simply cannot do the job of educating children with challenges, real or imagined.
Equity implies fairness. I would ask, just who benefits from this law? From where I stand, I see no one who is benefitting at all.