Marlon James' Conclusion? Windsor is a Segregated Town

Posted by George Slate , August 29, 2013 at 03:11 PM 25 Comments 1  Recommend

Posted by George Slate , August 29, 2013 at 03:11 PM 25 Comments 1  Recommend

This is the 3rd posting that I did after reading the report.

Page 33 of the MJLU report asks, "Why is a structural practice namely segregation, which socially is a prerequisite to harsher forms of discrimination, found in a school in 2013?"  Page 32 of the MJLU report states, "Segregation is a required condition for inequality, for it enables the empowered to separate those designated to receive privilege from those selected to endure varying forms of discrimination (Feagin & Feagin, 2008).    .........  WOW!  This does not describe the Windsor that I know.  How Marlon James, and Loyola University, came to this conclusion since being contracted for this study in April, I do not know.  .........  When someone else drafted up the report for the Racial Imbalance committee I served on in October/November 1989, he used the words "racially segregated" to describe Windsor.  I objected because segregation means intentionality.  The word segregated was changed to imbalanced in our final report.  .........  As I read through the MJLU report, I saw no examples cited of students selected "to endure varying forms of discrimination," nor students "designated to receive privilege."

Avon Lady August 29, 2013 at 05:21 PM Where & how is Windsor Racially Segregated? Is there a street where there's not a mixture of races that we do not know about? That's one of things so many people love about Windsor is that so many races live here together Black, White, Latino, Asian, Native Born Americans & Immigrants all living & loving together. My husband grew up here in Windsor & we moved here to buy a house not far from his childhood friend's house because it was such a nice & integrated small town Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 29, 2013 at 11:54 PM Avon Lady- do you have any children in the school system? Do you know any black children in town? There is such a thing as institutionalized racism. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 10:56 AM This is very interesting Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 10:58 AM Dear Gen, I am a graduate of Windsor High School, class of 2004; while, my siblings graduated in 2005, 2008, and 2009. I am still strongly connected to many of my classmates who are of all different racial backgrounds. I would say that from those who I have had the opportunity to speak with about this issue, the data included in the report does not reflect their experiences at Windsor High School. ____________________________________________________ Let's consider a few limitations in the first section of the report, which included the qualitative analysis. It is stated in the executive summary that 250 students were included in the focus groups; however, Dr. James fails to include demographics for the students. Demographics like race, age, gender, and the level of courses they completed while at Windsor High School were all excluded from the report. So who is to know whether the focus groups were representative and the statements included in the report reflect the sentiments of all students at Windsor High School? 4 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 10:58 AM that 60 teachers and 50 parents were included in the focus groups; however, their responses were left out. Upon inquiry during the community presentation, Dr. James' co-researcher stated that the teachers’ primarily believed that they did not teach with prejudice. Dr. James' followed up to his co-researcher's response with his decision to exclude this information because it was clear that they were not acknowledging their personal biases and that there were not enough of participants. As someone who has experience with focus group research, 110 participants is a strong number when completing qualitative study, and exceeds the average number which typically is included in this type of study design. Another set of data that was excluded from the report, but was noted during the presentation, were the positive statements made about the educational system of Windsor. Why were the strengths of our school system and the positive experiences of students withheld from the report? _____________________________________________________ As someone with graduate level research experience, I can state with certainty that the report is slanted. By denying that fact, we as a community are denying that we are going to continue to fail a significant number of our students here within the Windsor Public School system. It is undeniable because the primary grouping variable is race. It is not that I doubt that race is a variable that must be understood as a factor that is partially contributing to the grouping of students by academic course level, because it is clear that there are about 20% more black males in remedial classes than the 50% of white males who are also in the same level of courses. 1 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 10:58 AM ____________________________________________________ Currently, I have one 2nd grader in primary elementary school here in Windsor and a younger son who will hopefully be going to Windsor Public Schools. However, this depends on whether or not our elected officials are willing to tackle the underachievement of a diverse group of students through a nonbiased approach. An approach that is multifaceted. One that will begin to address the issue of under achievement by considering socioeconomic status, trauma, behavioral health, family systems, etc. as equally important variables as important as race/ethnicity. _____________________________________________________ The problem is clearly evidenced in the fact that Dr. James' scoffed when told that poverty does exist in Windsor. He believes, as included in his report, that the only indicator of poverty worth looking at is the percentage of students receiving reduced or free lunches. When asked whether he looked at number of family who receive Medicaid or food stamps/SNAPs, or Section 8 vouchers, or Care 4 Kids, he quickly stammered out loud that he looked at that. Really? So he took the names of parents who have students within Windsor High School and contacted the Department of Social Services, HUD, and the Department of Public Health, gave them the names of parents with their addresses and birthdates to determine what their poverty status is? I think not. If he did - he certainly didn't include this information in his report. 1 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 10:59 AM The problem is that Dr. James' was hired to find evidence to support Doreen Richardson's hypothesis that black males are being systematically discriminated against. That is also an undeniable fact because Dr. James' stated that Dr. Villar called Dr. James when he was hired and that he already knew that Ms. Richardson shared his philosophy on race in the school system. Ms. Richardson's support of Dr. James' spans back to 2009 and all of Dr. James' previous research has been in the area of institutional racism and underachievement in black urban males. 2 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Catherine & Dennis August 31, 2013 at 11:09 AM So, they got what they paid for? 2 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate jane doe August 31, 2013 at 11:53 AM As a minority students taking all APs in WHS, I can conclude that this report is complete bullshit. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 12:02 PM Dear Jane Doe, Your lack of education is evidenced by your profane use of language in a public forum. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 12:04 PM Michaela- I am also a graduate of Windsor High School and as an adult have been witness to bias against children of color at the high school and elementary levels. I have a relative who personally experienced being "dumbed down" by educators in the district and had their parent not had the courage to challenge the decision, they would have remained in lower level classes. While you have research experience, I and others have had the life experience. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate LAB August 31, 2013 at 01:48 PM Cudos to the parent for being an advocate for their child. That is the responsibility of the parent to do so. If all parents could do the same perhaps we wouldn't be having many of these conversations. It is our responsibility to make sure that our children are placed in the proper classes. We certainly can hear what teachers have to say regarding what they think but ultimately we as parents can override those decisions if we feel our child is not being challenged enough. I have had to do the same for my child and my decisions were respected by the teachers. 2 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate LAB August 31, 2013 at 01:49 PM Kudos.." Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 02:10 PM The kudos are definitely appreciated LAB. While I definitely agree with the parent challenging the teacher, I still question why the teacher was fine to place the student in the lower level class in the first place. There are many parents who live by a philosophy that the teacher knows best or at least better than they. But as my relative has found, not always, if at all. Many parents just don't feel like they should question the professional. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate LAB August 31, 2013 at 03:14 PM One would need to know the academic history of why your relative was recommended for a lower level class. I certainly don’t think that all teachers in the Windsor Public School system are good teachers or even want to teach. My kids have had a couple mostly at the elementary and middle school level. That’s why it’s so important for parents to be in communication with their child’s teachers and guidance counselors. I have seen parents get so involved that they have had teachers fired and/or contracts not renewed. As tax paying citizens we have a right to weed out the teachers who don’t teach our children properly. As parents it is our responsibility to make sure our children are placed in the right classes, teams, levels, etc., so that they can learn to the best of their ability. We know what’s best for our child(ren) and the environment in which they are best suited to learn. I have made some mistakes over the years by not speaking up so I have learned to always question the professional to make sure my child is being treated fairly and given the same opportunities as everyone else. WHS offers great opportunities for all students and I find it very difficult to believe that anyone is being discriminated against or not given the same opportunities regardless of the color of their skin, faith, gender, etc. I fear these “findings” by Dr. James is going to only divide this town and school more. I hope I’m wrong because WHS is a great school with some great teachers and administrators. But we still need to be an advocate for our kids. 2 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 03:24 PM I hear what you are saying LAB and therein lies the exact problem. You "find it difficult to believe"...But it is happening right under your nose. When people become willing to believe things will change and maybe then the town will stop being divided. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 03:45 PM Dear Gen, It is not for me to disregard anyone's lived experience because I think that we can all bring our personal perspective to the table when discussing our children's education. It is extremely unfortunate that we have come to this point in our community that we are defending our experiences by racial identity? I can't believe that this is the community that my parent's generation has left for us. Maybe it is time to place greater value in evidence-based and outcome driven programming. It is unfortunate that whatever programming comes out of the results of the MJLU study will be confounded by the multiple initiatives that have been and are currently being rolled out. Who’s to say that if things change, that it is going to be because we targeted race as an independent variable since we have common core, PBIS, the challenge program, etc. that are all being carried out concurrently. ____________________________________________________ So I ask, if we are funding so many programs here in Windsor, then why are any children being denied support when they are clearly struggling in a subject matter at an earlier age than high school? Why are resources not available for those students who could benefit from tailored programming? Why isn't our educational system individualized and student-centered? Why do parent's not know how they can contribute to their children's academic success? Why was there such a rush to hire Dr. James' without seeking diverse community input to avoid the disastrous consequences of making decisions that are only perceived by a single person to be the best approach for our school system? _______________________________________________________ I would say that more often than not, the feedback that I hear from young parents who have school aged children (black, white, Latino, Indian, Middle Eastern, etc.) is that they are scared that the current Windsor Public School system is going to fail their children. Not because of the color of their skin, but because there are areas of development that are missing in our educational system. Why is it that the majority of parents I hear from say that they are seeking to move before their kids get too old, or their children are in lotteries for magnet schools. Our own Board of Education Chair, Doreen Richardson's, two oldest daughters went to Metropolitan Learning Center; while she fought to have her youngest daughter also attend? Is this why she now believes that the Windsor School System is corrupt because she is worried about her own daughter? _____________________________________________________ I am worried about all of the children in Windsor, and that includes children from all groups. We should have considered a myriad of variables and had race as one of many grouping variables. That would have provided us a truly comprehensive picture of Windsor… too bad that our elected leaders are pushing our community members to defend their personal experience and choose sides. I choose to defend all those students who are underachieving, who are lacking opportunity, and who wish to rise above their circumstances to achieve greatness. 1 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 04:32 PM Michaela, I definitely appreciate your perspective. I am also concerned for the children as a whole. I am especially worried for the children whom no one holds to a higher threshold. I hope we are able to discover a solution to the disparities and underperformance in general, while becoming a united front in the process. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel August 31, 2013 at 04:42 PM I completely agree Gen - completely. I would love to meet some time to discuss this further. I can be reached at Michaela.fissel@gmail.com if you would be interested in grabbing coffee or just hanging out at one of the libraries. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Gen August 31, 2013 at 04:49 PM Absolutely. I'll have some time next week. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate George Slate August 31, 2013 at 07:32 PM Gen and Michaela I Fissel - It is so good to see that the two of you might meet and talk. Please let the rest of us know how the conversation goes. Recommend Delete⋅ Tim Curtis September 01, 2013 at 08:39 AM Gen, Michaela Fissel, and George Slate. There is a lot of interesting discussion here, stemming from differing personal experiences. It would be helpful to hear from more voices as we move forward. A diverse population has a diversity of opinion. Even though the study has been slammed, if one reads the recommendations one can see that the focus of the recommendations is not on race, though it is one of the variables, but inequities in general, looking at the possible barriers that hinder achievement for any student in the system. The one disturbing point in this thread is the public revelation that the Board President's daughters attend the Metropolitan Learning Center, positing what I believe to be the unfounded rationale as to why her children are there. It strikes of gossip. I believe every parent has the right to make the personal decision about where and how to educate their children, without receiving public scrutiny or criticism. If this is the new litmus test, then from now on, every Board and Council member should be required to state what schools their children attend, and why. Actually, I hope we never get to that point. When I served on the Board and later the Council, there were members who, for their own personal reasons, chose not to have their children in Windsor Public Schools. And not once did I question their dedication to the town. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Michaela I. Fissel September 01, 2013 at 09:03 AM Dear Tim, As I hear more and more parents stating their reasoning as to why they are seeking alternative forms of education for the children, I think it would be worthwhile to hear the reasoning behind why some choose to have their children educated in a school other than a Windsor Public School. This is especially true given that this is not gossip - these are facts. Some parents make the decision to send their children to magnet schools, to private schools, or to public schools. Their reasoning is extremely important and provides valuable insight into aspects of education that parent's find important. _______________________________________________________ Also, personally, I do feel that it is important for members of the community to have information. When I watched the Legislative Committee on Education meeting from February of 2012 and noted that Ms. Richardson was in full support of being a "conduit" for state dollars to be filtered into magnet school education - I began to wonder why. Therefore, when I learned that Ms. Richardson's two eldest daughters attended MLC it made sense. When I followed her time on the BOE it also made sense as to why she began seeking Dr. James to advice Windsor parents in 2009 since that is the year that her youngest daughter began in Windsor Public Schools. This isn't gossip, and it does not diverge from any of the evidence I have posted prior to yesterday. _______________________________________________________ Maybe having groups of parents who have children attending various forms of education, including BOE members if they choose, could say why they are concerned with the Windsor Public School System. Your thoughts about having a larger discussion with a diverse group of parents is key. Maybe we could identify some areas that the Windsor Public School system that could be improved from the parent's perspective instead of bringing experts in a single subject area. I don't think that we give parent's enough credit to bring their voices to the table, and maybe we actually do have the answers right here in the brilliance of our community members. 1 Recommend Flag as Inappropriate Tim Curtis September 01, 2013 at 12:28 PM Michaela, I still think you are drawing a lot of conclusions based on trying to connect the dots. You might be spot on or way off base. A direct talk with Doreen on that issue could possibly be helpful to the readers. Also, when I was on the Board, and maybe it is still done today, exit questionnaires were mailed out to parents who had withdrawn their children from our school system. Not an easy task since many withdrew first and told the school system much later. Many did not respond, and those who did gave reasons that ran the gamut. For the students I taught in East Granby I was able to get some ideas, but they also ran the gamut: a more rural setting, smaller school, a larger home, concerns about entering Sage Park (public middle schools always get hammered for that, Windsor included), and white/bright flight. Finding out such information may be helpful, but it can also be biased. As a teacher, I always felt that whoever showed up in my classroom, I was going to give them the best educational experience I possibly could. Recommend Flag as Inappropriate George Slate September 01, 2013 at 06:53 PM Tim Curtis - I agree with your comment, "There is a lot of interesting discussion here, stemming from differing personal experiences. It would be helpful to hear from more voices as we move forward." .......... After the community forum on Thursday, I asked Jill Jenkins to join us in Patch land. I understand her reluctance. She closed the meeting by noting twelve, or so, myths/rumors that Dr, James dispelled. I disagree with about three of them but agree with at least six. but her perspective needs to be heard.