Race based academic standards

White supremacy is the lead teacher in public schools

Thanks to Suad Kamardeen @suadkamardeen for making this photo available on Unsplash https://unsplash.com/photos/8PyNdtGL4Bg

I learned so much about education laws in my alternative teacher certification program- Teach NOLA.

Many people don’t know this but states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida still have race-based academic standards.

In fact, cultural competence and diversity training is optional for Florida teachers. I taught in Florida for many years and was astonished by the apathy in educating students of color. The apathy wasn’t limited to white people. The Black administration didn’t seem very invested in educating black students.

A white student may expect to pass at 80%, and an African-American student can pass with 65%. The expectations are lower for black students since black students can pass classes with the bare minimum score even if these students have not mastered the academic material.

In closing, this presentation by Melissa Crum explains how states can get away with implementing race-based academic standards. It’s worth checking out on YouTube.

When I’m not busy being a super mom, cleaning up messes, running errands and taking my autistic daughter to her medical appointments, I find time to write poetry and blog about random topics. I am an author, jokester, poet, bibliophile, true crime stories junkie, history buff, single parent, autism advocate, educator, homeless activist, food aficionado autodidact who loves learning about everything. I grew up in West Palm Beach, Panama City and Pensacola, Florida. I currently reside in New Orleans with my two children.