The NAACP of the Oranges/Maplewood passed a resolution on June 15 admonishing the South Orange Maplewood school district for doing too little to end what they claim is a leveling program that is in violation of civil rights.
This resolution, which is a first step towards a lawsuit, was passed in response to the de-leveling proposal to merge levels 3 and 4 in the seventh grade that was passed in June by the school board. While some residents may see this as a small step towards tackling that achievement gap, the resolution states that merging the 7th grade is too small a step and the NAACP wants to see de-leveling in grades 8 to 12 to end what they see as racial segregation in the classroom.
A spokesperson from the NAACP headquarters in Washington knew nothing of the resolution, but said the organization’s annual week-long convention has been a priority this week.
She referred all calls on this matter to James Harris, president of the New Jersey chapter and Thomas Puryer, president of the Oranges/ Maplewood branch. Phone calls have been placed and e-mails sent, and both voicemail boxes send out the recording that they are “full.”
South Orange Maplewood superintendent, Brian Osborne, said yesterday that “We haven’t received any details from the NAACP. I look forward to working with all stakeholders who share our commitment to excellence and equity for every child.”
Ahhh, the dumbing down of America. Were in a time where achievement and hard work are frowned upon. Pity those that fall behind and penalize those that move ahead. It’s odd, you don’t see the people of Asian/ Indian origin falling behind. SOMA BoE should be a ashamed of themselves for this feel good policy.
Amen. This sort of PC silliness is the reason our country’s going down the tubes.
And if I were inclined to care about “SOMA,” I guess I would be left to my own devices to figure out what “leveling” is?
Similar to tracking?
Who knows!!
Enjoy SOMA, this one’s for you!
(Yes. It’s BURIED in the detailed proposal 2 links away, I found it. But really, shouldn’t the writer recognize that with this newly expanded Baristanet some of us have no idea of the long term issues in your community? With that, perhaps if one is going to use such terminology, a simple definition is in order?)
Reading it again, it is even more confusing: (in my class this would simply get a BIG RED QUESTION MARK)
“This resolution, which is a first step towards a lawsuit, was passed in response to the de-leveling proposal to merge levels 3 and 4 in the seventh grade that was passed in June by the school board. While some residents may see this as a small step towards tackling that achievement gap, the resolution states that merging the 7th grade is too small a step and the NAACP wants to see de-leveling in grades 8 to 12 to end what they see as racial segregation in the classroom.”
There’s one way to level the “achievement gap.” WORK HARDER!
Perhaps if the students took soma the leveling might occur naturally.
“..there is always soma, delicious soma, half a gramme for a half-holiday, a gramme for a week-end, two grammes for a trip to the gorgeous East, three for a dark eternity on the moon…”
So, is leveling a form of tracking?
Assuming the answer is yes, then I’ve got a big, big beef with people who equate tracking with racism.
If the assignment to tracks or levels is being done in a racist way, then by all means, address that problem.
But this is a different issue than the question of tracking which benefits the highest track kids vs not-tracking which supposedly benefits the middle track kids.
I’d look forward to Herb’s view on the achievement gap between white yuppies and white yeehaws.
The prof makes a good point. If people from North Baristaville are going to give a hoot about what goes on in South Baristaville, someone’s going to have to ‘splain it.
Though I’ve never understood how these measure to end the so-called achievement gap are supposed to work.
Why not propose bussing to integrate their elementary schools? I remember looking to buy a house in Maplewood and there were 2 elementary schools that were “good” and other neighborhoods were much less desirable because their schools were not so good. I assume their elementary schools are segregated in the way Montclair’s would be if we did not have a magnet system.
good point, overthinking. Tracking is not discrimination on its face. Test scores, grades… numbers don’t lie.
But, it is a difficult issue that has problems on both sides. If you don’t track, and everyone is mixed together randomly, it tends to limit the progress of kids at the upper end of the curve, but may help pull up kids at the lower end. If you do track, the higher end kids can excel, but the lower end kids don’t get the benefit of being in the same environment with the bright ones. Also, the teachers can tailor their program to better suit the audience.
I don’t think its fair to say tracking = racism. If all the Elves end up in one level and all the Vulcans are in another, if it’s based on quantifiable data, then it is what it is.
How to close the achievement gap is a completely separate conversation.
As far as I know, the NAACP isn’t worried about an achievement gap in basketball. If black kids can excel in basketball, why can’t they excel in academics? They can and do, just not in the numbers we would all like.
On the courts, of course, there’s no mollycoddling.