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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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 Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: Toronto to segregate schools |
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Sort of. They will build black-only schools.
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Toronto school board considering Africentric school
Melissa Leong, National Post Published: Wednesday, January 16, 2008
More On This Story
Toronto's public school board is a step closer to opening a black-focused school - possibly as soon as next September - after a discussion paper obtained by the National Post yesterday listed the controversial idea as a way to address the disproportionately high dropout rates among black students.
The 156-page paper, written by board staff for trustees, suggests creating an Africentric alternative school open to all students in the Northwest part of the city, using "the sources of knowledge and experiences of peoples of African descent as an integral feature of the teaching and learning environment."
Other options for consideration in the paper include establishing black-focused programming in three existing schools and offering professional development for staff.
Lloyd McKell, executive officer for student and community equity at the school board, said formal recommendations by staff will be made shortly. The issue will be put to a vote at a board meeting on Jan. 30.
Although Premier Dalton McGuinty has publically said he was not "personally comfortable" with the idea of Africentric schools, Kathleen Wynne, education minister, said in an interview yesterday the province will support the school board's final decision.
"At the end of the day, they are going to do what they need to do to meet the needs of their students," she said, but added: "Our position is that we prefer to have our students learning together in an inclusive environment."
The Liberals hammered the Progressive Conservatives in the provincial election last fall over PC leader John Tory's proposal to fund faith-based schools. The Liberals repeatedly said they were against a plan that would separate students of a certain religion from those of other religions.
Proponents have been lobbying hard for an African-centred school, arguing that it is an experiment worth trying, if it will help more black students graduate.
Forty percent of students from the Caribbean do not complete Grade 12, according to TDSB's 2006 data. For students from East Africa and West Africa, the figures are 32% and 26%, respectively.
Critics worry that a black-focused school would only divide students.
"No one disputes the fact that there is a disproportionate number of black students who the system is failing and we need to do better. But we need to better in every one of our schools, for every one of our black students," said trustee Josh Matlow, who opposes the idea of "schools divided by race."
Sheila Ward, trustee for Ward 14, said she is confident that the board will proceed with starting the city's first Africentric public school.
"The black community has made very clear their desire for this kind of school and I think that it is a desire that we ought to try and meet and see what kind of success it has," she said.
"Alternative schools are open to all students. You may have an Africentric curriculum but any student who wishes to attend can apply. That's the beauty of it."
John Campbell, board chairman, said an Africentric school will not solve the challenges that the board faces in boosting academic achievement among black youth.
"An Africentric school is not a panacea," he said. "But by the same token, our board has an obligation to listen to the community and its wishes with respect to the establishment of an Africentric school."
Donna Harrow, a community worker, who alongside parent Angela Wilson has been instrumental in pushing the Toronto District School Board for an Africentric pilot project said she was looking forward to the final staff report but was pleased to see the TDSB "look at issues within the board as they related to African-Canadian students."
If the TDSB is serious about creating a successful program or an alternative school it must distill what it means to have African-centred curriculum, said Dr. Howard Fuller, former superintendent of Milwaukee's public education system and a leading educator in the U.S.
"I think it will be very critical to have a series of workshops where you bring people in who can talk very deeply about an African-centered curriculum," said Dr. Fuller. "The question of how you create an African-centred curriculum within the context of Toronto isn't just a simple thing because you want to do this right."
National Post, with files from Canwest News Service
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http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=242313 |
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Octavius Hite
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Location: Househunting, looking for a new bunker from which to convert the world to homosexuality.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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| We already have Aboriginal, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc. Some are private, some are public. NYC has a GLBT high school. If it gets people a proper education and works, I'm not sure if I should care. |
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Big_Bird
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
Location: Sometimes here sometimes there...
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:22 pm Post subject: |
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| Octavius Hite wrote: |
| We already have Aboriginal, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc. Some are private, some are public. NYC has a GLBT high school. If it gets people a proper education and works, I'm not sure if I should care. |
I pretty much agree. I would like my kids to go to an inclusive school, but I don't see why there shouldn't be Afrocentric schools if there exist Catholic and Jewish schools, etc. And it's probably worth a try if there's a possibility it might be successful. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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Fair enough.
I am concerned that this whole mass immigration, multicultural project is totally breaking down. We don't live together, work together and we are moving towards not being educated together. This is the logical end of all this, isn't it? You be you, and we'll be us and we'll compete for access to the government breast. |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:25 pm Post subject: |
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Just finished reading "Freakanomics" which talks about the disparity between black and white students.
The main reasons cited seemed to be:
growing up in a single-parent home
having a mother who gave birth as a teen or in her twenties
not having parents who are educational role-models.
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None of these points would be negated by having a "black" school.
This idea is doomed to fail. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:31 pm Post subject: |
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That's exactly right. There is nothing inherent in "blackness" that makes one fail at school. But having useless parents and a culture of thug-worship will. Get all these girls on birth control pronto. A "community" of 14-19 year old mothers has not future in any way.
The school boards assumption is that not learning an "Afrocentric" curriculum hurts the self esteem of black students and they then drop out. This is yet another reason the hippies should never be given control of anything.
Of course, they would graduate if only the attended, so it isn't an ability issue. |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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[quote]"Alternative schools are open to all students. You may have an Africentric curriculum but any student who wishes to attend can apply. That's the beauty of it." [/quote]
I'm sure all the White and Asian parents will be clamouring to send their children to learn about Africentricity, whatever the hell that is. Also, the same article sites African students as having high drop out rates as well. Wouldn't this be a clue that their missing "African-ness" isn't the problem? |
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Octavius Hite
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Location: Househunting, looking for a new bunker from which to convert the world to homosexuality.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:41 pm Post subject: |
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I think one of the reasons this may work (this is how it seems to do with Aboriginal schools) is that at a Black school there will be black teachers who can serve as role models to discourage the thugging and leg spreading.
I think we can all recognize that its easier for our own "group" to lead the community than having an "outsider" trying to do it. Non-blacks just might not understand, same with non-aboriginals or non-muslims.
As long as they are teaching properly (i.e. science and not magic, lookinga t you Catholics) and it helps all the kids not get pregnant or gold teeth I'm for it. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:46 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I can agree with that.
My beef or disagreement is more with the assumptions about why black kids are under preforming and not necessarily with the advent of black schools (though the segregation of Canada along racial lines does not sit well with me).
I do not agree that self esteem is the problem. These mostly Jamaican kids would have dropped out in Jamaica too, where everybody is black.
But yeah, if they work then good. Get the girls on depo and as Hite said, keep gold teeth out of the dudes mouths. White, Black or Asia, I'd never hire a dude with "grilz". |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:50 pm Post subject: |
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| Octavius Hite wrote: |
I think one of the reasons this may work (this is how it seems to do with Aboriginal schools) is that at a Black school there will be black teachers who can serve as role models to discourage the thugging and leg spreading.
I think we can all recognize that its easier for our own "group" to lead the community than having an "outsider" trying to do it. Non-blacks just might not understand, same with non-aboriginals or non-muslims.
As long as they are teaching properly (i.e. science and not magic, lookinga t you Catholics) and it helps all the kids not get pregnant or gold teeth I'm for it. |
black schools in America have been shown to have predominantly black teachers, with equivelent levels of education, experience, and teaching qualifications as teachers in white schools. It doesn't matter. The problem is the parents, not the teachers or the schools. A white student who is good in school will do good in a black school, just like a black student with two parents with college degrees will do good in a white or black or green school. |
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Octavius Hite
Joined: 28 Jan 2004
Location: Househunting, looking for a new bunker from which to convert the world to homosexuality.
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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I agree, but there is some argument to made that black teachers might be better able to reach black kids.
I don't know, I'm not black, and I don't really care.
I say try it for 10 years and if there is no difference or it is worse close it, if it works, keep doing it.
Simple enough. |
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blaseblasphemener
Joined: 01 Jun 2006
Location: There's a voice, keeps on calling me, down the road, that's where I'll always be
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Octavius Hite wrote: |
I agree, but there is some argument to made that black teachers might be better able to reach black kids.
I don't know, I'm not black, and I don't really care.
I say try it for 10 years and if there is no difference or it is worse close it, if it works, keep doing it.
Simple enough. |
I think it's funny that a high number (supposedly) of black parents would think that being around other low-achievers would be a way to solve the problem. This is clearly a white school board trying to segregate troublesome students. Only the dumbest of the dumb parents would buy into a scheme segregate a group of students together who are prone to dropping out. This will never fly. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 10:30 pm Post subject: |
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| If I were a parent of a kid in Toronto this would be the best news in years. Sad, but true. |
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stevie rotten
Joined: 31 Jan 2003
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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if it works i'll change my opinion on it but it seems pretty shortsighted.
i don't see blacks as having one homogeneous culture. a kid from a small town in zimbabwe is going to have very little in common with a kid from the jane/finch projects 'cept for skin colour. i'm always a little suspicious of people referring to "black culture" as there is no real definition of what it is. it just comes off as unapologetic stereotyping. secondly, i don't see how core subjects such as math, science, and the fundamentals of english really would differ with an afro-centric spin (except for maybe trying to legitimize ghetto slang). i also don't see the end result as being beneficial to anyone. so what if there are more kids graduating if only to find that they are unprepared to integrate in the society around them.
unless this is just a pc way of getting troubled students out of the real schools and confining them into one controlled area i don't really see the point of this. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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It takes a village idiot to propose an Afro-centric school
Of all the well-intentioned ideas floated by our social engineers, Afro-centric schools in Toronto cop the prize for being the most misguided. Setting up Black-focused schools in order to set up Black students for success makes as much sense as saying not failing a kid will ensure they�ll never be a failure. It�s flawed logic, doomed from the outset. Besides, it misses the real point. The tall foreheads behind the proposal believe that the role of sparking a kid�s intellectual curiosity and getting them engaged in higher learning defaults to the educators who suddenly have to re-invent the wheel because the old-fashioned one wasn�t rolling along for some students. Isn�t that one of the priorities of parenthood, since time immemorial; a prerequisite for ensuring survival or success throughout all of nature? Show me a home that fails to place a premium on the value of education and I�ll show you a failure. Only in a nanny state, where it takes a village to raise a child, do we expect the �education system� to take on even the minimal responsibilities of mom and dad. And now we�re taking our cues from the village idiots. |
http://network.nationalpost.com |
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