Some US Schools Slow Diversity Programs after Opposition

Some US Schools Slow Diversity Programs after Opposition¹

Conservative local school boards in the United States have already moved to control how history and race is taught in public schools. Now, some school districts are also finding their larger efforts on diversity, equity² and inclusion challenged by local officials.

A school board is a group of elected officials who supervise a school district's budget and educational decisions.

Alexis Knox-Miller is the equity director at Colorado Springs School District 11, a large and diverse system of 26,000 students. The district was the first in the area to create a formal equity policy.

The policy was approved with no opposing votes in May 2020, just two days after the killing³ of George Floyd in Minnesota. That event led to nationwide reflections on the state of race and social justice issues in society, as well as in schools.

Knox-Miller helped launch a study by the American Institutes for Research. It found that schools with high numbers of special education students, English language learners, students living in poverty and students of color were scoring lower than other schools. Knox-Miller thought the results demonstrated a big need for policies aimed at ensuring that all students had the same opportunities.

But critics questioned the study's findings and how they were presented. Conservative candidates ran for the school board and won three seats, giving them a majority. The winning candidates had voiced concerns about equity policies. So Knox-Miller decided⁴ to end her work after more than a year of meetings.

American educators say they are feeling the effects of deep divides surrounding the issues of diversity and equity in schools. After George Floyd's killing in 2020, many districts increased efforts to make schools more inclusive places for students and employees of all backgrounds. But intense debate over how schools deal with race is leading some districts to rethink or withdraw plans.

"People were conflating the definition of equity with critical race theory," Knox-Miller said.

Critical race theory is based on the idea that systemic racism⁵ has deeply shaped American society, laws and policies. It is often taught in higher education settings. But school officials say critical race theory is not taught in K-12 public school systems.

However, that has done little to change the minds of opponents. They say school systems are misspending money, creating racial divisions and shaming white children by supporting programs they view as critical race theory in disguise.

Such criticism has led some districts to stop proposals aimed at making schools more welcoming places for students from diverse backgrounds. Work elsewhere has been affected⁶ by heated debates about subjects that have been misrepresented as critical race theory.

In a political climate that has already led to arguments over pandemic restrictions⁷ and vaccine⁸ requirements, equity programs are struggling at some schools, said Dan Domenech. He is the director of the American Association of School Administrators⁹.

Districts are "thinking twice about what they say and what they do and how they go about doing it because it is having a chilling effect on the whole equity, diversity and inclusion movement," Domenech said.

Virginia-based group Parents Defending Education has been critical of diversity, equity and inclusion policies. The organization seeks to identify examples of what it sees as problematic programs. On its website, the group identifies one of its goals as fighting "indoctrination in the classroom." The organization also seeks a "restoration of a healthy, non-political education."

In Southlake, Texas, near Dallas, the newly-elected conservative majority on the Carroll Independent School District's board killed a diversity action plan in December. The board also ended a diversity planning group as part of a legal settlement.

Still, many other programs are continuing as planned.

An equity program that schools in Clayton County, Georgia, worked on more than a year ago was designed to keep politics and emotions out of it, said Superintendent¹⁰ Morcease Beasley. Leaders of the equity group say they plan to use data to drive any policy changes.

"That's what equity is about," Beasley told the AP. "Where are the needs? Who needs the resources? What do they need?"

Words in This Story

diversity — n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.

challenge — n. to say or show that (something) may not be true, correct, or legal

reflection — n. an image that is seen in a mirror or on a shiny surface

opportunity — n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

conflate — v. combine two or more ideas into one

disguise — n. to change the usual appearance, sound, taste, etc., of so that people will not recognize that person or thing

chilling — adj. very disturbing or frightening

indoctrinate — v. to teach to fully¹¹ accept the ideas, opinions, and beliefs of a particular group and to not consider other ideas, opinions, and beliefs

restoration — n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.

1 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

2 equity   

n.公正，公平，（无固定利息的）股票

参考例句：

• They shared the work of the house with equity.他们公平地分担家务。
• To capture his equity,Murphy must either sell or refinance.要获得资产净值，墨菲必须出售或者重新融资。

3 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

10 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

11 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。