Milwaukee Public Schools appears to be working to “decenter” and “open up” whiteness in the classroom.
The Young America Foundation published an exclusive report on a 33-page memo titled “Educational Communities and District Climate” from school districts that aims to describe “best practices for addressing disciplinary disparities through positive educational communities.” An important approach in the memo discusses “anti-racism” with a note on “Understanding Whiteness.”
“Whiteness is everywhere around us. Educational practices have been rooted in Whiteness and come from the lens of Whiteness for many years. Educators should think about the elements of Whiteness they see in education, which they participate in, and which elements they can work to dismantle,” the memo reads.
The memo also lists videos to help faculty “keep up [their] journey throughout development” understanding whiteness. These include a discussion by author Robin DiAngelo and a video titled “Whiteness: WTF?”
Another section of the memo is devoted to achieving “equity” in schools, which is defined as “allocation of district resources, supports and opportunities that are based on the needs of students and staff.”
The memo encourages educators to analyze how white privilege has affected their classrooms. Getty Images
“Achieving equity may require an inequitable distribution of resources and services to ensure that all children have an equal opportunity for a free and appropriate public education,” the memo explained. “The strengths of students, staff, families, and community members must be illuminated to eliminate implicit and explicit deficit thinking.”
The memo also asked staff members to “create spaces to have bold conversations about race” to “understand that race plays a role in society and education.” It cautions faculty to move beyond beliefs such as “I treat everyone equally” and “I don’t see race.”
A section on “anti-racism” also recommends a definition from author and proponent of critical race theory Ibrahim X. Kendi.
It was not clear in the report to what extent the report was distributed among the district’s 156 schools. However, Milwaukee Public Schools includes K-12 education.
Fox News Digital reached out to Milwaukee Public Schools for comment but has not yet received a response.
In 2021, a group of Minnesota principals and vice principals signed a letter pledging to pursue the goal of “de-centering Whiteness” and “dismantling practices that reinforce White academic superiority.” The letter also suggests that practices such as standardized testing are being enforced “a version of the American caste system in our schools.”
The phrase “de-center Whiteness” recently appeared in a November Forbes article titled “3 Ways To Eliminate Whiteness In Your Workplace.”
“Because White centralism is often left unchecked and unchecked, equity and justice continue to elude organizations,” the article reads.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Jasmyn Jordan, national chair of Young Americans for Freedom, said, “What Milwaukee Public Schools is promoting is another example of a concerted effort to eliminate a merit-based system and replace it with a race-centered system. DEI on it’s fundamentally against everything the left claims to stand for – it’s against racial equality and inclusion.”
“As a student, I have seen DEI do more harm than good. Instead, the focus should be on achievement, character, and hard work.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
