Oregon’s Education Dept. Takes a Stand Against Standards — Racism, to the Layperson – Opinion

Oregon educators are fighting racism.

They’ve pinpointed something radically racist: education.

A virtual meeting was held by Oregon Department of Education to enhance conditions on Monday.

A startling announcement was made by the crew.

Standardized testing can be explained by iniquity, as it turned out.

Fox News

[The group] declared standardized testing is rooted in white supremacy and has been “weaponized” against students of color.

It’s an interesting idea: A bunch of administrators aimed at fighting white supremacy appear to suggest that nonwhites can’t pass tests — which is not at all white supremacist.

The meeting — titled “Work Group on Equitable and Racially Responsive Balanced Assessment” — was headed by ODE Director of Assessment Dan Farley.

He’s anti-harm:

“The history of standardized testing is founded in white supremacy, a history that has caused harm to students historically and currently underserved by our educational system.”

That sort of testing, he claimed, originates from “eugenicist sources.”

Then, what do you need to do?

The solution must exist, but it should not be provided by pale people.

“We need standardization in order for test results to be comparable, but I do think it’s a question that’s worthy of interrogation. It’s not a question that I, as a white male, should come out and answer, whether I have an opinion on it or not.”

Dan suspects tests can’t be completely canceled, but he hopes they might be utilized as “antiracist levers.”

CNN states that antiracism is the removal of racism such as colorblindness.

It is possible to be optimistic and fight racism by utilizing the antiracism that judges people by their skin colour.

Oder so.

And in the process, he suggested, those “whom state assessment results have been weaponized against” can help develop the new and necessary policies.

Fox notes the same group convened in September, during which the director called to Ibram X. Kendi’s best-selling Antiracist Strategies

“[Ibram] reminds us that ‘anti-racist actions must remove racist policies.’ So the policies must first be identified, either because they contain racist content or they contribute to racist outcomes.”

It is evident that evil policies are practiced.

“We’re working to identify racist policies and practices that we can influence so we can disrupt them.”

If there are prejudicial policies anywhere in America, why aren’t they spotlighted for all to see, rather than merely referenced in vague terms? There is no evidence that any institutions or leaders have exposed explicit mechanisms, despite all the talk about systemic racism.

Hence, our transformation lingers.

Dan launched tests while the suspension was in progress:

“[Standardized testing] was both founded in and used as a weapon for purveyors of white supremacy.”

Oregon’s “standards, curriculum, instruction and assessment,” he lamented, “have centered in whiteness contributing to the racist education outcomes that we are familiar with.”

Can we ever conquer America’s chalky scourge?

It’s going to be tough.

After all, there are components of Caucasianness that the Smithsonian can collect. It’s quite the collection:

• Objective Thinking
• The key to success is hard work
• Respecting Authority
• Future Planning
• Delayed Gratification
• Action-Orientation
• Decision-Making
• Being Polite

A teachers conference was held at University of Colorado Boulder last September. It focused on the whiteness of doing things.

Antiracists, revolt:

• Resistance to colonial, neoliberal coercion in time Productivity
• Flexibility is key; give multiple dates options (for example, more than one week).
• Consider suspending penalties for late work — prioritize full engagement rather than timeliness
• Encourage students to be conscious of the colonial morality surrounding the use of time (worth=productivity)

Oregon might end productivity, thus sabotaging white supremacy.

It remains to see.

However, standard testing might be a great place to start.

-ALEX

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