Youngkin replaces Equity with Opportunity
Hopefully, a year from now, we will hear the word ‘equity’ only when talking about Mortgages.
Opportunity, not Equity
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Gov. Youngkin’s move may be symbolic, but it is refreshing.
Personally, I wish government had never involved itself in education. I believe — idealistically, to be sure — that the intellectual and mental health of the nation would have been better today had learning always been tested in a tougher crucible than the one we chose to create.
But state-sponsored education is the world we live in. Abandoning foolishness, as Youngkin seems determined to do, is at least a positive development.
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What is the alternative to state-sponsored education?
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That’s an interesting question. I am actually uncomfortable with the assumption that there needs to be an alternative.
Had government-run schools not become commonplace, I imagine that numerous alternatives would have evolved. Today I would encourage policies that enable parents to opt out of public education, possibly by offering direct tuition and tutoring grants. I think, too, that compulsory education should be ended.
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Well, thanks for being honest, I guess.
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In much of Europe, parents can choose the school their children attend and the government contribution to the cost follows the child.
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Yes, but most schools are still state-run. It’s not like every family takes their voucher and enrolls in their local private/parochial school. Then there’s the whole issue of the state funding religious institutions (beyond their existing tax exemptions).
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“ Had government-run schools not become commonplace, I imagine that numerous alternatives would have evolved.”
What were the alternatives before public education was developed? Or, the corollary would be why public education was developed.
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We give people food stamps to help them afford to feed their families, but we don’t require them to buy from a government monopoly grocery. We let the magic of the market deliver better and cheaper.
Why should education be any different?
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I don’t disagree that public education has problems. Not the concept, but the funding.
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If you went to a shooting tournament and were extremely nearsighted, equality would be no glasses for anyone.
Equity would let you wear glasses.
What some seem to think is that because of equity, everyone’s vision needs to be blurred with reading glasses. But that need not be the case at all. And I think that misconstrues the goal.
The importance of health and education in a modern, industrial and high tech world is critical. Not just for great wealth, but just to at least thrive.
Incentives for innovation should come from rewards such as wealth, not from the threat of malnutrition and disease coming from poverty. For one thing, it widens the pool of entrepreneurs if poverty, illiteracy and poor health are brought down. The occasional “rags to riches” may be an inspiration, but it is far from the norm.
Plus, the innovators and the investors need quality workers to execute their dreams. Lately, we have relied on importing high tech workers from other nations. And now they are populist scapegoats among our working classes.
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Here’s another one that might help:
A patient comes in complaining of a tooth ache. Upon examination, a cavity is found in the offending tooth. Do you:
A. Drill out the cavity and fill the tooth
B. Drill out and fill every tooth in the patient’s head
C. Refuse to help because it would be unfair to give the offending tooth preferential treatment and it had the same opportunities as all the other teeth
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I think it might be helpful to give some context here.
When school divisions speak of “equity,” they aren’t advocating that everyone get an “A” on every test or that every kid gets a turn playing QB. They are looking at decades worth of data that show that poor kids, black kids, and especially poor black kids are significantly underperforming their peers. Black males are also more likely to be suspended, and for longer, than all other races or girls, when controlling for offenses. The same trends are observed in students diagnosed with a learning disability.
These facts lead us to one of two conclusions:
Either black kids are inherently less intelligent and more prone to behavioral issues than their peers, OR there are other factors at play that should be addressed in order for them to get to the point where they have the same opportunities as other kids.
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But for the mavens of equity, the solution would be to suspend white boys and girls who have done no wrong an equal number of days and give them text books with incorrect information to damage their education.
There are more than 2 possible reasons for the underperformance of Black males, and it isn’t likely to be a difference in intelligence large enough to explain it. I would suspect cultural problems, but dragging down other kids to achieve equity is not the solution.
You should read Kurt Vonegut’s “Harrison Bergeron” to see where this is headed.
https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxtc3JlZG1hbmVuZ2xpc2h8Z3g6MjdlZjYzZmNmMjFjMjgxZA
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“the solution would be to suspend white boys and girls who have done no wrong an equal number of days and give them text books with incorrect information to damage their education.”
Now that you’ve put that thought to paper and can read it, do you still think that makes any sense at all?
Also, you know Vonnegut was a socialist, right? 😉
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Who said it made sense?
But that is how the vaccines were initially allocated and how the CDC advisory panel is suggesting therapeutics be assigned.
BTW, did you read “Harrison Bergeron?” It’s only 5 pages.
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We’ve all read it. It’s not particularly profound.
We’re talking about trying to remove the handicap bags or implants or whatever that only some people have to wear. I know they paint a HB scenario on all your news programs, but nobody is forcing rich kids to ingest lead or move every month. They’re designing programs and best practices to help the kids whose lives are like that–through no fault of their own–I might add.
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RE: “We’re talking about trying to remove the handicap bags or implants or whatever that only some people have to wear.”
No, we’re not. That’s what you are talking about.
I would suggest a more accurate statement of the existential issue: Life is not fair; to what extent can social arrangements improve fairness?
I believe that social arrangements are ultimately incapable of creating “fairness.”
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It’s not about dragging others down; it is about lifting ALL to achieve to their highest potential.
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If that were so, I would have no problem, but it isn’t.
The VA vaccine rollout proves that.
The explicit intent was to preferentially vaccinate young government workers BECAUSE whites were over represented in the over 70 age group. More elders of all races died as a result but that was in line with their intent as whites disproportionately died.
Good intentions notwithstanding, that is how equity is implimented.
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You have made that accusation several times, but haver provided nothing but your personal insight and no factual data proving it.
As far as equity in the classroom goes, I know for a fact that my daughter spends the time necessary to ensure that all of her students get e level chance to IMPROVE their standing. None of it is based on anything but fairness to all. Those who need extra assistance get it; those who thrive are actually given the opportunity to improve even more.
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I will take on faith that your daughter is motivated and caring, but it is clear she will be fighting an uphill battle.
Numerous school boards across the state have stated they are scaling back advanced placement and talented and gifted classes.
In that kind of situation, teachers have little choice to teach to the slowest paced students. How is that fair to the more advanced students?
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Regarding the vaccine rollout, I provided the power point presentation the CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee sent out to health depts on ‘equitable’ access to the vaccines.
I think I still have it, I’ll look. But I’m pretty sure you’ve already seen it.
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Regarding the vaccine rollout, I provided the power point presentation the CDC Vaccine Advisory Committee sent out to health depts on ‘equitable’ access to the vaccines.
I think I still have it, I’ll look. But I’m pretty sure you’ve already seen it.
Can’t find the Powerpoint but this is the underlying document.
Note table 2 under ‘mitigate health inequities’ discourages focus by age as minorities underrepresented in the over 65 age group.
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6947e3.htm
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You are denying that health inequities exist in minority and low income populations. Your market based theory is now about survival of the fittest and not equity.
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You understand that this policy resulted in excess deaths of both Black and White elders, right?
More White deaths proportionately, but still, more Black elders died than needed to, at little advantage to anyone as those young people who rushed to the front of the line were very unlikely to die in any case.
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