Bill Boyle notices a fact that has been obvious to everyone except corporate reformers for the past 15 years: almost every school that is labeled “failing” enrolls mostly children of color. In Michigan, the home state of Betsy DeVos, every community that is targeted for state takeover and for an emergency manager is majority people of color. Corporate reformers look at schools with low test scores, and they see dollar signs, not children with unmet needs. At present, 38 schools in Michigan have been declared “failing schools.” They are slated for closure. This was surprising to hear, because when I participated in a four-way debate last week with Matt Frendewey of DeVos’s American Federation for Children on NPR, he insisted that public schools are never closed in Detroit or Michigan, only charter schools. Twenty-four of the 38 schools slated for closure are in Detroit.
Bill Boyle writes:
“Let’s be clear and name this- Betsy DeVos is a huge proponent of institutional racism.
“How do you spot institutional racism? It’s pretty easy.
“First, here is what you don’t do. You don’t go looking for individual racists. I honestly don’t know DeVos’s personal ideas on race. I am certainly not naming her as a racist. Her intentions are beyond by my ability to determine. More so I don’t see her personal intentions as particularly relevant. (The same goes for Attorney General nominee Jeff Sessions. Who cares if those who know him claim he’s a nice guy? See below.)
“What is relevant are the effects and outcomes of the policies that she supports. These are very, very easy to determine. And they clearly support institutionalized racism.
“It goes without question that DeVos has supported the narrative of “failing schools” and that she has funded it. In the state of Michigan this has led to a number of weird policies (the ability of the SRO to close schools being only one) that have become institutionalized through the financial backing and political influence of DeVos. (As an excellent example of how DeVos exerts pressure, see here.)
“So let’s dig a little deeper.
“What do these 38 schools on the SRO closing list have in common? They are in areas of high concentrations of poverty, and high populations of African American students. This is called a “disproportional outcome,” one that has a disproportionate effect on a particular group of people. In this case, we are talking about poor Black communities. Poor Black communities are having their schools taken from them. Poor Black communities are having their schools being named as failures, which allows us to avoid considering the racialized economic conditions that actually led to these communities having high concentrations of Black students who also tend to be struggling with poverty. Schools are being named as failures while hiding the fact that those in power have failed those communities.
“It is shameful.
“And it is, by definition, institutionalized racism.
“Maybe we should ask, does closing schools work?
“The answer is yes if your goal is to continue to steal resources from those most in need of them.
“The answer is no if you are hoping to support these communities.
“Hell no.
“Not even close.
“As an example, Muskegon Heights public school district was completely charterized as a result of the having been overtaken by emergency management in 2012. The whole district was given to a private company to run as a charter district. In 2014, that company left in the middle of the school year because the profit wasn’t what projections hoped for. It remains charterized.
“And it is now is on the closure list.
“Oh well.
“Muskegon Heights district is 95.6% Black with a poverty rate of 61.7%. Hmm…”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I hope focusing on De Vos’ crude racism doesn’t have the unintended effect of letting off the hook TFAers Eva Moskowitz and their ilk who’ve infested the educational system, public and charter, with their talk about “failing schools” and their behaviorist boot camps for “those children,” while spreading propaganda about so-called reform as “the civil rights movement of our time.”
Waiting for these frauds to jump into bed with Trump and continue the smash-and-grab policies in 3, 2, 1…
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AGREE, Michael. Thank you Eva and the TFAers.
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With all due respect, but equating this with racism is absurd. Unless Rohm Emanuels is also a racist?
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Rudy, you won’t get a disagreement on that one!
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And that would make Gates, Waltons etc. all racists. And it would make my District’s past three superintendent racists as well, because they, too, closed schools.
In other words, your philosophy is, “Anyone who closes a school is a racist?”
Surely not??
We have closed 5 schools. Does that make us racisit?
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With compliments from an ex-Dutchman/ Enjoy!!
This is from one of the (many) Dutch broadcasters. VPRO is the Liberal Protestant Radio Broadcasting group. And it IS in English, BTW…
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Quite well done! Thanks for the link Rudy!
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Immensely entertaining. Does Donald not understand that he is an international joke?
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The charter movement in general is designed to promote institutionalized racism. Using weaponized standardized testing as a tool, minority communities are often targeted. This unjust treatment may have to be addressed in the courts. As it stands now, the courts will challenge de jure segregation, but they tend to turn a blind eye to de facto segregation. The type of institutionalized segregation practiced in the charter industry is a manipulative practice that uses public funds to sort students by race, and the result is enhanced segregation. There should be some grounds for a legal challenge for this trend. To me it seems more devious and overt than the practice of red lining in real estate which is illegal.
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Here is an excerpt from an article on Muskegen Heights.
It’s basically celebrating the fact that this district is a good model for reform because, even though academic performance has dropped, they are spending less per student then before the take over:
“Muskegon Heights seems to have successfully reduced its spending and stayed on stable fiscal ground. The old district was spending over $15,000 per pupil in 2010-2011, creating a budget deficit of over $2 million. Under new management, the district receives $11,789.59 per pupil and has so far prevented expenditures from outpacing revenues.
A financially failed school district must get its finances in balance to move on, which Muskegon Heights accomplished while under emergency management. There are certainly lessons here for Detroit.
While the district needed to overcome its financial distress, the ultimate goal of any school should be increasing student achievement. Unfortunately, state data shows that academic performance in Muskegon Heights is declining in areas such as scores on the ACT and the graduation rate. On the other hand, the district’s elementary grades are a bright point. In the 2014-15 school year, 3rd and 4th graders’ proficiency rates on the state math test broke into double digits — a step up from 0 percent before the change in management.”
( full article- https://www.mackinac.org/22714 )
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The term “institutional racism” seems to be quite a stretch of the use of the term racism. By definition racism implies a conscious effort by someone to discriminate against others in regards to race (another widely misused term and one that lacks a cogent meaning in regards to the differences among humans but that’s for another day). From MW online:
Definition of racism
1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2a : a doctrine or political program based on the assumption of racism and designed to execute its principles
b : a political or social system founded on racism
3: racial prejudice or discrimination
Nowhere in the post is “institutionalized racism” defined. Is it a combination of definitions 2a & b? I doubt it. Who can say that because a practice has a disparate impact on a “race” that it is indeed racist. That is the stretch that I cannot accept. Have there been instances where race has been the motivating force in policies, laws and practices? Yes, no doubt, many many instances abound. But to assert that charters and vouchers, etc. . . and the many attempts to privatize public education fall under the term “institutional racism” seems to me to be stretching the meaning of racism beyond the pale. Do those practices have a disparate impact on minorities? No doubt, but one certainly cannot logically then imply racism as a motive when there is no evidence of that motive.
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The problem of this type of stratified system is that anyone that looks at the enrollment of schools that have been sorted by test scores often finds a mostly white school and another that is mostly black. We can see the result of the sorting, but we can’t prove that students were sorted by race. However, we know the end result. Choice programs increase segregation, but I don’t know how much is by score or manipulation of individuals doing the sorting. I don’t know if this qualifies as institutionalized racism or not, but it is a social problem. By contrast, most public schools take all students and strive to provide a much more equitable experience for young people.
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I certainly agree with the “social problem” and stratified system aspects. And those are serious problems.
But to assert that racism, whether supposedly institutional or not, is a (the?) root cause can’t be warranted. And in pushing the racism meme we do a disservice to advancing a “fidelity to truth” attitude in combating the many malpractices that occur on a daily basis.
For without that “fidelity to truth” we sink to the level of those who we decry as spouting “alt-facts” or “alternative facts” or in plain English errors, falsehoods, prevarications and lies.
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I tend to think that if the term “institutional racism” is to have any real meaning, it can’t be synonomous with “disparate impact.” It has to satisfy a second test, which is, “is there a darn good reason for whatever policy has created the disparate impact?” This is the standard in law for disparate impact causes of action, and I think it makes sense.
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FLERP,
Is there a darn good reason to calisthenics public schools in black communities and give them to charters?
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I’m guessing you meant to type “close” and got autocorrrected.
Good question.
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To answer your question, Diane: NO!
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Dick DeVos, at the side of his wife, said, “The church- which ought to be, in our view, far more central to the life of the community- has been replaced with the public school.” (Politico) So, when the church gets federal and state funds to build, operate and staff its schools, it becomes a major employer, in the community, that can discriminate, based on arbitrarily-prescribed behavior outside of the place of employment/religious affiliation/etc.? What could possibly go wrong for American principles?
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I have noticed that in my own large city where school closures have occurred that not only have the closed schools been located in areas of high concentrations of poverty and in places which hold high populations of African American and Hispanic students, but that as our inner city is being rapidly re-gentrified, the price of the land upon which these schools are located is forever going up, higher and higher….
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What you see is part of the gentrification strategy in cities around the country. They send the poor students to a cheap charter in a fringe area of the city, and near the downtown area they build selective charters that serve mostly middle class students. The real estate in the area near the CBD and transportation then commands top dollar. The city and developers flip a neighborhood for profit.
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“…as our inner city is being rapidly re-gentrified, the price of the land upon which these schools are located is forever going up,…”
Bingo!
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There is a person from nbc…a vp of communications. Erika Masonhall “I’m leaving NBC News next month to help lead strategic comms for Facebook’s News Partnerships team.” So I tweeted to her…”facebook blocks me from commenting after stories in the Post Dispatch. Help!” I guess the key employee saw my tweet, or maybe Erika told her, but I received a reply from Beth O’Malley: “Facebook didn’t block you. I did, after you posted repeated insults in violation of the @stltoday terms of service.” I was actually relieved to learn the answer to a question for which there was no answer….who was blocking my comments. You are not notified when you are blocked…..and no explanation is ever available if you find out by accident.
This week I have been concentrating on one of the Gulen Schools….maybe it no longer is…..st. louis is reluctant to give information, but I was able to learn a lot about their stats…tip of the iceberg in their k-5 school, their test averages were 63.4%. The state average in Missouri was 55.8%. In the St. Louis district, which is about 80 percent black in student enrollment in the 24,500 non charter schools. It is not clear what the percentages are in the 11,000 students in the charter schools, which are left out in reports about the district. I am not sure when or if the law was changed so that charter students are not part of the district, legally speaking. One sheet of information made it appear that the KIPP schools’ stats are included with the non charter schools. A different makes it appear as though the Gateway school is included with the non charter schools.
One stat which really jumps out when studying the Gateway numbers: it is 83% white, and 3.8% black.
I am allowed to post information that I discover in the post dispatch all purpose current affairs forum. But not directly with other subscribers and readers directly after the stories.
As a vietnam veteran, who cared enough about the post dispatch to have close to 400 papers delivered during my not always pleasant service there……I have to wonder just how bad any insults I might have posted were, to have me quietly eliminated from discussions of matters which I consider important.
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Gateway Science Academy South does not discriminate in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in its programs and activities, on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, marital status, disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other reason prohibited by law. We are open to ALL students. We serve students with special needs, limited English proficiency, or who are homeless/in temporary living situations.
someone asked:(not really, this is a carefully designed FAQ) “Is my child guaranteed a seat if I submit an enrollment application?”
As with all charter schools, we are a public school open to everyone. If there are enough seats available to accommodate all of the applications we receive, then your child is guaranteed a spot.
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I left out a stat after the gateway 63.4,and the state 55.8 (Missouri is below the national average).The overall average for St. Louis Public Schools was 31.4%, tests from spring of 2016.
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Looks like Devos People going into overdrive Heritage Launches Center for Education Policy http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2017/01/heritage-launches-center-for-education-policy
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Heritage, the voice of the (rich) people
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And, Clarence Thomas’ wife. ($600,000?)
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Let’s take a look at their “Priorities for the First 100 Days of the Trump Administration” for education…..
The incoming administration and Congress should prepare to tackle various education-related issues in the coming year, and the following priorities should be at the top of the to-do list:
Support reauthorization and expansion of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program
Create education savings accounts for children attending Bureau of Indian Education schools
Allow states to make their Title I dollars portable, following children to schools and education providers of choice
Allow K-12 expenses to be eligible for 529 college savings accounts
Enable states to fully opt-out of the programs that fall under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) through the A-PLUS (Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success) proposal
Ease the cost of college by making space for private lending
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2017/01/the-first-100-days-of-the-trump-administration
I see so much about public schools in their priorities.
I feel like Joe Friday “Just the alternative facts ma’am”.
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Let this be a lesson to anyone who is wealthy and white, or just white, or just wealthy? Do not try to come up with a plan to help students in failing schools. They are often in minority neighborhoods, and you will be accused of “institutional racism.”
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Suzanne,
The lesson is not to impose punishments on schools; meet with parents and teachers and collaborate on improvements. Not draconian punishments based on tests that measure family wealth.
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The problem isn’t that the individuals like DeVos, Rahm Emanual, Gates, and the Waltons are racist. The “reform” narrative they bought into is deeply flawed. The narrative crafted by well-intentioned legislators in Washington DC ultimately played into the hands of the privatization crowd and is now leading us to the doorstep of Milton Friedman’s dream of a deregulated privatized free-market education system driven by vouchers.
When Ted Kennedy— hardly a racist— helped pass NCLB he was convinced that the system put in place as a result of that law would help address the inequities of public education. President Obama— again, hardly a racist— instituted his misbegotten RTTT initiative he reinforced the “accountability” model implicit in NCLB. In championing “rigorous interventions needed to turn around the lowest-performing schools”, RTTT encouraged the privatization of “failing” schools, most of which served children raised in poverty. He sincerely believed this kind of “tough love” approach would improve the lives of children of all races. Indeed, until recently organizations like the NAACP supported the accountability systems put in place by NCLB and amplified by RTTT. Why did they abandon their support late last year? In large measure because they saw that the system they initially supported was yielding disproportionate outcomes.
We now know that neither NCLB nor RTTT made any difference whatsoever, and we see that the pro-voucher, pro-privatization crowd is using this “waste of money” as evidence that the only way to help parents in the cities “full of failing schools” is to give them the opportunity to choose the schools their children can attend. And if there are no acceptable public schools to choose from, those parents should be able to enroll in a private school of their choice… even if the school is a de-regulated for profit school or a sectarian school.
When now-President Trump was on the campaign trail seeking African American voters, he talked about the sad state of the cities and schools and gave them this rationale for their support: “What the hell do you have to lose?”
We’re finding out the answer to that question now.
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I did see that but I forgot to post it. We will see what happens tomorrow. Marilee
On Wednesday, January 25, 2017, Diane Ravitch’s blog wrote:
> dianeravitch posted: ” Bill Boyle notices a fact that has been obvious > to everyone except corporate reformers for the past 15 years: almost every > school that is labeled “failing” enrolls mostly children of color. In > Michigan, the home state of Betsy DeVos, e” >
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