Cloaking Inequity

Although U.S. schools are more racially diverse than ever before, they are growing increasingly segregated, with African American and Latina/o students attending more segregated schools than at any time in the past 20 years (Orfield, 2009). Although current levels of school segregation are reminiscent of the pre-Brown era, the demographics of students in U.S. schools […]

In the post “Merit” Apartheid: Forces Determined to Segregate Higher Education? I wrote: It appears more and more that there are forces that are determined to re-segregate higher education in Texas and elsewhere. The desegregation of higher education is currently inevitable in places like Texas under existing policies such at the Top Ten Percent Plan because of the rapidly […]

It appears more and more that there are forces that are determined to re-segregate higher education in Texas and elsewhere. The desegregation of higher education is currently inevitable in places like Texas under existing policies such at the Top Ten Percent Plan because of the rapidly changing racial demographics of students in K-12 (Note: We examined […]

An infinity of good and bad things get unevenly distributed across populations for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with the kinds of discrimination that are banned in our laws and Constitution. Chester Finn Congratulations, us Americans can officially pat ourselves on the back. From my estimation, from where I sit, women have now […]

Julian Vasquez Heilig gave an interview about “college” and “career” readiness to Veronica Zaragovia from KUT News. We briefly discussed the education bills passing through the Texas Legislature that are stirring debate on impact to students, especially minorities. See my earlier post Career and Tech: “Show me the money!” for thoughts on funding for career programs and the implications tracking students […]

What do you think César Chávez would have to say about “Right to Work”? Chicago school closings? Parent Trigger? Vouchers? Do you think he would be a member of Democrats for Education Reform?… César Chávez was a union leader…he fought the neoliberals every day of his life. ¡Sí, se puede! ¡El pueblo unido, jamás será vencido! The only answer, the only hope, is […]

Dear Civil Rights and choice advocate, I have noticed that some Civil Rights advocates are supporting and leading the school “choice” movement. They are searching for alternatives as our nation has consistently and purposely underserved students of color. As one reformer from Los Angeles told me, Latina/os and African Americans have been forced to attend “f_cked […]

After my testimony to the TX Senate Committee on Education on charters yesterday, someone stopped me in the hallway of the capitol and responded to a portion of my testimony by arguing essentially that charters are over-represented in the Latina/o college-readiness (majority of school college-ready) data relative to non-charter public schools. This is an interesting hypothesis […]

When you think of school choice, what comes to mind? Vouchers? Charters? Intra- and Inter- district choice? Magnet schools? Today I received a forwarded email request from a senator that was gathering information in response to pressure for “school choice” bills at the Texas Legislature. I have been pondering “school choice,” and why it is […]

In the summer of 2012, a Houston Chronicle editorial argued that the state was faced with “widespread panic” at the low levels of students passing the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), TEA and Pearson’s new testing regime. Don’t panic the scores will go up— and they will do so over the next […]

Yesterday I made some “no holds barred” statements to the Huffington Post about school finance, politics, and race. First, the background. Brookings said minority children will be the majority in the entire United States by 2019. The growth in the Latina/o community fueled almost all of the population growth in the United States over the last ten […]

The premise that vouchers create a competitive market place for students and parents is questionable once the assumption of who can actually compete in or benefit from that market place is considered. Unrestricted, universal school choice, has in practice increased the segregation of diverse learners (e.g. ability, SES, and Race/Ethnicity) (NEA, 2012). Why is this […]

A few more takes on the Harvard Educational Review article Illusion of Inclusion in which we analyzed the Texas US Social Studies Standards. Radio interview on KUT. Print interview in the San Antonio Express-News “If you’re a Native American or Asian American student, your history is absent and the state board of education is sending a message that […]

Had an interview/conversation yesterday with Sandra Lilley (She’s featured in my Twitter background photo) from NBCLatino. Her article Census shows it’s time to invest in Latino children, says experts discussed the growth of Latina/os in U.S. Schools: By 2060 Latinos will be nearly one of every three Americans, according to the latest Census report released today.  As […]

Race and Racism. Is there a topic we struggle with more in the United States relative to public policy and education? I recently had an extended discussion with a long-time friend on Facebook regarding race, and what i perceived as a “racist” statement. We debated how racism should be defined… So what is exactly racism? […]

In the recent vote for 2012 Educational Policy Turkey of the Year Award, the Florida SBOE race-based test score goals came in a close second to TFA for the prize. In fact, two of my Linkedin connections made the following comments in response the posting:  I vote for ALL ESEA waivers that systematize the achievement gap in many, […]

I have had several emails from the readers of Cloaking Inequity asking about the Pre-K SA initiative recently passed in San Antonio. The official website states: Pre-K 4 SA is an investment in the children — and the future — of San Antonio. Children who attend high quality Pre-K programs do better in school from […]

Written in collaboration with Dr. Jaime Portales Voucher supporters in the United States and elsewhere claim (including Sen. Dan Patrick) that vouchers will improve the educational opportunities of disadvantaged students (Sugarman, 1999), and contribute to the social integration of middle- and upper-class students. Voucher supporters argue that, since school choice is already available to upper-class […]