8 Comments
Aug 7, 2023Liked by Tom Hayden

I think it’s very important to ask what bang D65 and ETHS are receiving for this continuing investment, if any. Or if it’s causing harm. If you can’t access this article, I am happy to provide a pdf. https://open.substack.com/pub/jessesingal/p/of-course-dei-programming-should?r=17jpo&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post

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This line is mostly right, “none of these programs are formally, rigorously evaluated. I may sound like I’m beating a dead horse here, and I understand that at a certain point I come across as a nerd, but until you have evidence a program works, you don’t have any evidence a program works” .. the catch is, there is no way to evaluate such a program if the materials are all behind strict copyright protection!

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I have access to this! I’m a subscriber to Jesse’s podcast Blocked and Reported, too!

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Aug 9, 2023·edited Aug 9, 2023

What these programs "work" to do is to keep incumbents in power by intimidating those that disagree with them. More interested in challenging children with rigorous academics than in the ideology of anti-racism? Oh you must be racist. And thus Patricia Savage-Williams keeps her grip on the District 202 board despite a record of worsening student achievement during her tenure. Ditto for Biz Lindsay-Ryan in District 65.

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I think you have it backwards, like yes these are intimidating to some folks, however these programs allow the powerful (board members, admins, wealthy people) to claim they are solving racial disparity without actually doing anything material to improve the lives of our PoC neighbors.

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Aug 9, 2023Liked by Tom Hayden

I completely agree with you. These programs are just a means to keep the powerful in power, not to actually help children of any skin tone learn. It's just the political machine at work, at the expense of all of our children.

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“I will say that generally speaking, I am in favor of CRT”

I remember when the left proclaimed throughout 2020 CRT is not even being taught in schools except in college law courses. Here’s some recent CBS and NBC articles still claiming it’s not being taught

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1272945

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/critical-race-theory-teachers-union-honest-history/

Yet the round table just released a article claiming Seventy (70) teachers fled the district just this summer

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Disagree. I think the teachers leaving has not much to do with CRT training and a lot to do with other stuff like workload, pay, discipline support, and curriculum. Source: I talk to a lot of teachers.

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