Hi all, I hope you’ve been well. We’re busy editing the White Guilt documentary these days and it’s going great. I think it will be a powerful film that deals with how we ended up in this divisive, tribal post-October 7th world. Still much work ahead.
I've taught history and civics to high school students for twenty-five years. I think much of Dr. Rice's analysis would have been a better criticism of our schools at the beginning of my career. Alas, as you suspect, our problems are worse and more complicated today than they were then.
Today, I each at a Catholic high school in Pennsylvania. But prior to that I taught at an elite magnet school in Virginia for seventeen years. I can tell you that DEI and gender ideology have greatly damaged our educational system at every level. The job of a teacher is to remove ignorance, help build character, and to make excellence the rising tide that lifts all boats. Instead, in the Bizarro world of DEI, the lowering of academic and behavior standards is the lowering tide that includes everyone and is supposed to make everyone feel better about themselves.
You mentioned some of the educational gimmicks now in vogue (even at allegedly "elite" schools). Let me share some other specifics for subscribers:
* The lowering of the percentage needed to secure a high grade. This has happened virtually everywhere. When I was a kid attending Fairfax County Public Schools outside of Washington an "A" meant one had to have a 94% average. Well, that is now a 90 or much lower in many cases.
* There are "minimum grades" that teachers are required to give all students. Usually this means a minimum grade for the quarter. For example, at my current employer a 70% is needed to pass... but teachers are not permitted to give a student a grade lower than 60% for the quarter (or, comically, 65% if it is the first quarter). So one child who earned a 22% average was given 65% by the school. The rationale is that kids will "lose hope" and "give up" if they fail so badly their first quarter. But in fact, this operates in reverse because slackers know they have a 60% or 65% banked even if they do literally nothing.
* Teachers are usually required to "round up" their grades. For example, if a 90% is an "A" what this really means is that an 89.5% is an "A." And guess what, when schools make such policies official, parents immediately begin to demand that teachers "round to the rounded grade." I can't make such nonsense up.
* The proliferation of extra credit assignments is mind-boggling. I am appalled, but not surprised, by your daughter's experience of kids with grades in the 70s winding up with As. Either formally or informally, teachers are required to offer extra credit assignments. And woe to the teacher who has any significant number of students fail their course--that's the teacher's fault nowadays. The solution of course is to offer even more extra credit. However, this is never as effective in helping the lowest-performing students because they rarely bother with extra credit assignments. Why would they when they know they will be permitted to play ball and then be socially promoted at the end of the school year?
I could say far more and I haven't even talked about behavior standards. But the public needs to understand that the lowering of standards described above is occurring at every level. Our educational institutions are committing malpractice and parents and teachers need to fight back.
Thank you for discussing this extremely disturbing trend.
You are correct. I saw this happening when I was in school in my last years. People who played sports didn't do any assignments. It got to where teachers wouldn't even call on them. Some slept in those classes. They were passed anyway. But back then it took several years of failing before they would get promoted. Lower grades from 94% to 90% was frowned upon by majority of the teachers. Some teachers did it anyway. Quite a few kids loved this because they considered themselves "smarter" because they got that "A". But it was known as not a 'real' A.
I could go on, but you already know the story.
How can teachers even want to stay employed under these conditions? That HAS to be draining on them. Taking all of their spirit out to actually teach.
It is draining for sure. Despite the decline, there are still positive experiences when you realize that your class did something special for a particular kid--that keeps me going. Often I think of starting an independent school. Actually, I will do that... as soon as I become good at development.
Eli, this is an excellent analysis of the gaping hole in Condoleeza Rice's analysis. Clearly, DEI is a toxic ideology that does the most damage to students from what they call marginalized communities. Ironic that a doctrine that supposedly stands for victims against oppressors is itself leaving a trail of victims as collateral damage.
Great article. Thank you. We see the same phenomenon with all of the progressive ideologies saturating our culture. For example, people rail over men playing in women’s sports yet fail to critique the ideology that brought us to this place. Young people are taught humans can change their sex based on their feelings and should be able to participate in society accordingly. This is the real problem. Men in women’s sports is a symptom.
People who feel compassion towards those who have psychological difficulty accepting their sex, support the transgender campaign without having any understanding of the underlying ideology and the resultant social contagion. This has allowed gender ideology to become firmly entrenched.
It shows the brilliance of the marketing strategy behind DEI, gender ideology, climate. A truth is wrapped in lies and half truths. There is enough truth to bury the intent and ignite people’s compassion. If they miss the underlying ideology which somehow many people do, even those in opposition, it becomes embedded and takes on a life of its own.
Thanks Michael, I have been studying this for a bit. One day, if people wake up and reject DEI and its friends, there could be entire courses on how it was deployed. I hope there are.
DEI is clearly Marxist, in that all outcomes for all persons are the same - of course, other than the elite, but I digress here, don't I?
Marxism has never worked, but it sounds so alluring. There will always be those more capable, more willing to work, simply more able. How will society handle their righteous frustration when they are denied the earned rewards for their work?
Just what must we do to finally put that silver stake through the heart of this vampire?
While I don't doubt your sincerity, I think it is a mistake to combine what purports to be a critical examination of the harmful effects of DEI on American schools with a recitation of the Official Narrative about Zionism, Israel, the Palestinians, and Hamas. IMHO you undermine your credibility by doing that in your film. Not every critique of the Netanyahu government's war tactics arises from people buying into oppression ideology, people acting in bad faith, or people being bigots or self-hating Jews.
We must have read different articles. Dr Rice wrote a thoughtful essay on the history of Juneteenth, her memories of her childhood and her family experiences. She concluded with her opinion, that all Americans can find reasons to celebrate Juneteenth as we pursue a more perfect union.
Eli,
I've taught history and civics to high school students for twenty-five years. I think much of Dr. Rice's analysis would have been a better criticism of our schools at the beginning of my career. Alas, as you suspect, our problems are worse and more complicated today than they were then.
Today, I each at a Catholic high school in Pennsylvania. But prior to that I taught at an elite magnet school in Virginia for seventeen years. I can tell you that DEI and gender ideology have greatly damaged our educational system at every level. The job of a teacher is to remove ignorance, help build character, and to make excellence the rising tide that lifts all boats. Instead, in the Bizarro world of DEI, the lowering of academic and behavior standards is the lowering tide that includes everyone and is supposed to make everyone feel better about themselves.
You mentioned some of the educational gimmicks now in vogue (even at allegedly "elite" schools). Let me share some other specifics for subscribers:
* The lowering of the percentage needed to secure a high grade. This has happened virtually everywhere. When I was a kid attending Fairfax County Public Schools outside of Washington an "A" meant one had to have a 94% average. Well, that is now a 90 or much lower in many cases.
* There are "minimum grades" that teachers are required to give all students. Usually this means a minimum grade for the quarter. For example, at my current employer a 70% is needed to pass... but teachers are not permitted to give a student a grade lower than 60% for the quarter (or, comically, 65% if it is the first quarter). So one child who earned a 22% average was given 65% by the school. The rationale is that kids will "lose hope" and "give up" if they fail so badly their first quarter. But in fact, this operates in reverse because slackers know they have a 60% or 65% banked even if they do literally nothing.
* Teachers are usually required to "round up" their grades. For example, if a 90% is an "A" what this really means is that an 89.5% is an "A." And guess what, when schools make such policies official, parents immediately begin to demand that teachers "round to the rounded grade." I can't make such nonsense up.
* The proliferation of extra credit assignments is mind-boggling. I am appalled, but not surprised, by your daughter's experience of kids with grades in the 70s winding up with As. Either formally or informally, teachers are required to offer extra credit assignments. And woe to the teacher who has any significant number of students fail their course--that's the teacher's fault nowadays. The solution of course is to offer even more extra credit. However, this is never as effective in helping the lowest-performing students because they rarely bother with extra credit assignments. Why would they when they know they will be permitted to play ball and then be socially promoted at the end of the school year?
I could say far more and I haven't even talked about behavior standards. But the public needs to understand that the lowering of standards described above is occurring at every level. Our educational institutions are committing malpractice and parents and teachers need to fight back.
Thank you for discussing this extremely disturbing trend.
Matt McGuire
You are correct. I saw this happening when I was in school in my last years. People who played sports didn't do any assignments. It got to where teachers wouldn't even call on them. Some slept in those classes. They were passed anyway. But back then it took several years of failing before they would get promoted. Lower grades from 94% to 90% was frowned upon by majority of the teachers. Some teachers did it anyway. Quite a few kids loved this because they considered themselves "smarter" because they got that "A". But it was known as not a 'real' A.
I could go on, but you already know the story.
How can teachers even want to stay employed under these conditions? That HAS to be draining on them. Taking all of their spirit out to actually teach.
It is draining for sure. Despite the decline, there are still positive experiences when you realize that your class did something special for a particular kid--that keeps me going. Often I think of starting an independent school. Actually, I will do that... as soon as I become good at development.
Thank you for your view from the trenches!!!
Eli, this is an excellent analysis of the gaping hole in Condoleeza Rice's analysis. Clearly, DEI is a toxic ideology that does the most damage to students from what they call marginalized communities. Ironic that a doctrine that supposedly stands for victims against oppressors is itself leaving a trail of victims as collateral damage.
Great article. Thank you. We see the same phenomenon with all of the progressive ideologies saturating our culture. For example, people rail over men playing in women’s sports yet fail to critique the ideology that brought us to this place. Young people are taught humans can change their sex based on their feelings and should be able to participate in society accordingly. This is the real problem. Men in women’s sports is a symptom.
People who feel compassion towards those who have psychological difficulty accepting their sex, support the transgender campaign without having any understanding of the underlying ideology and the resultant social contagion. This has allowed gender ideology to become firmly entrenched.
It shows the brilliance of the marketing strategy behind DEI, gender ideology, climate. A truth is wrapped in lies and half truths. There is enough truth to bury the intent and ignite people’s compassion. If they miss the underlying ideology which somehow many people do, even those in opposition, it becomes embedded and takes on a life of its own.
Your last two paragraphs are an excellent choice and use of words. Well said.
Thanks Michael, I have been studying this for a bit. One day, if people wake up and reject DEI and its friends, there could be entire courses on how it was deployed. I hope there are.
Another excellent evaluation of the detriments of DEI. Thanks Eli!
DEI is clearly Marxist, in that all outcomes for all persons are the same - of course, other than the elite, but I digress here, don't I?
Marxism has never worked, but it sounds so alluring. There will always be those more capable, more willing to work, simply more able. How will society handle their righteous frustration when they are denied the earned rewards for their work?
Just what must we do to finally put that silver stake through the heart of this vampire?
While I don't doubt your sincerity, I think it is a mistake to combine what purports to be a critical examination of the harmful effects of DEI on American schools with a recitation of the Official Narrative about Zionism, Israel, the Palestinians, and Hamas. IMHO you undermine your credibility by doing that in your film. Not every critique of the Netanyahu government's war tactics arises from people buying into oppression ideology, people acting in bad faith, or people being bigots or self-hating Jews.
We must have read different articles. Dr Rice wrote a thoughtful essay on the history of Juneteenth, her memories of her childhood and her family experiences. She concluded with her opinion, that all Americans can find reasons to celebrate Juneteenth as we pursue a more perfect union.
BTW, looking forward to White Guilt documentary.