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The idea of being a meritocracy has always really bothered me in the US because of how blatant of a lie it is. I grew up seeing really stark inequity reproduced in educational systems across Los Angeles between my local school and then the school I was bused to. I think for kids who grow up in low-income neighoborhoods/ with underfunded schools there is often a framework that's taught to us that education is a pathway to greater health and outcomes. I really appreciated how "If these cells could talk" outlined the tangible health implications of racism in education and of predominantly white institutions. In creating equitable and racially competent education I often think about how do we have more Black and brown teachers, schools that highlight our histories and strengths in our communities.

On a separate note- the WaPo article brought up a question regarding CRT and how politicized it's gotten. How do we as progressives take lead on racial justice conversations in the political sphere? I fear that the Republican party in this country has hijacked the term to insight racial hatred and fear and the Dem party is too afraid to talk about race and racism in the US so we end up not even having a say in this conversation (in our imperfect 2 party system that is).

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Readings & Reflections by Friday, 25th at 5PM

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Readings & Reflections by Friday, 25th at 5PM

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Review & React (note: sequence is intentional):

A Relevant History of Public Education in the United States

Public K12 Education as a Capitalist Industry

Explore the CA School Dashboard for LAUSD, Lynwood or another district familiar to you.

If These Cells Could Talk Mini Doc

Public education is facing a crisis of epic proportions

Optional:

Apocalyptic Education Paper

A Theory To Better Understand Diversity, And Who Really Benefits

Brown v. Board of Education and the Interest-Convergence Dilemma

Nice White Parents Podcast

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This set of readings/videos was jarring and challenging because the issues and conflicts appear so intractable in the context of "incrementalism" or "reform" that I think we hear about so often, due to the many layers of oppression that are built into the education system foundationally. The Washington Post article painted such a bleak picture that I'm left wondering what types of significant interventions can be made politically possible (abolishing property tax funding for public schools?).

The blog about education as a capitalist system resonated with me in particular. I think it offered a perspective that not only helped to describe the many injustices of the U.S. education system, but also that helped to identify pressure points in which power could be leveraged to make substantial changes that move toward a system that prioritizes real human needs over the needs of the capitalist marketplace. I find myself inspired by those who are doing that incredibly difficult work on a daily basis, like the teachers on strike in several CA cities and Minneapolis, as well as student activists around the country (and globally) who are organizing for climate justice through school strikes, to name only a few. Looking forward to the discussion!

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Conversations around education usually get me very heated. Though my experience and expertise is specifically within post-secondary education, the problems that affect higher ed are incredibly common in k-12 education as well (one could argue they're not bugs, but features of the system). Education in the United States is rife with overwork, exploitation, and inequity. This is pervasive throughout all levels where teachers get very little by way of support which in turn dramatically affects the way their students learn and grow. Pair that with the already pre-existing inequities around foundational support and structure (ex: food insecurity, imposter syndrome, housing insecurity, etc.)

The first thing I think of when reading the Public School Review piece is that despite making an attempt to detail the origins of public education, it is specifically focusing on the origins of education as it is centered on colonialist history. It would be ludicrous to say the Indigenous peoples of North America did not have an education system, one that most likely did not change depending on elite class status like the puritanical colonisers did. Additionally, while the article may have been 'updated' in 2021, it was written at least 9 years ago according to the comments. It's frustrating because looking at this shows me that not much has changed in the 9+ years since its writing.

The WaPo article was very interesting in the way it decided to frame the conversation. The line "political battles are now a central feature of education, leaving school boards, educators and students in the crosshairs of culture warriors," stuck out to me in particular because, at least in my memory, education and school systems have always been in the middle of hostile political battles. Ruby Bridges is only 67 years old today and the massive waves caused by her enrollment in a previously all-white school were marked by vitriol and terrible discourse. I often find that the language used to discuss contemporary education issues are always contrasted with the 'old' issues, despite these events only happening decades ago. To what end will we continue, as the United States, to think that we are somehow beyond the issues we only recently 'resolved' by way of legislation which has no bearing on the changes of hearts and minds?

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I really appreciated the mini-documentary and the recognition that schools designed by the American system were not intended to promote Black wellness. I worked as a law clerk for the first Black judge on a circuit court in Virginia, and we discussed the complicated transition to desegregation in the South and the US as a whole. One comment he made really stuck with me: when desegregation came, the assumption was that the white schools were superior to the Black schools when that simply wasn't the case. Not only did Black schools have many academic activities that white schools did not (including an oratory competition in Richmond), but Black schools were able to offer a lot of emotional support to their students that was much more difficult to offer in newly desegregated schools. As the readings demonstrate, the history of our schools is more complicated than we want to admit.

The shortcomings of public schools have really been put on display during the pandemic. I've been thinking about what it would mean to change schools to emphasize wellness of students and faculty  and staff and what that would look like in practice.

Another area that is on my mind is the idea of parent choice and control. Obviously, these phrases have become politically important. But the truth is I can see why. I think parents want more connection to their children's education, especially in light of the pandemic and the deep sense of a lack of control that hit parents during that time. As progressives, how can we take back this narrative and demonstrate that we have an inclusive, workable vision for all children to thrive in our public schools?

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These readings have me feeling so much!!… I’m really struggling to get my thoughts into a linear and coherent response!

It seems that we’re free because we can choose what we watch on TV, where we work, how we dress and the like, but true freedom is the ability to change the rules of the systems in which we exist. American schools reveal that we are not truly free.

"The initial education system … was designed to teach children Puritan values and how to read the bible” (a relevant history of public edu in the US).

Public outcry to update this education is snuffed out by white parents and white America time and time again.

By the time I got to the article about interest convergence, I was just absolutely incensed. The historical trend suggests that interest convergence needs to be factored in to create progress. But I have to disagree. Are we any more free? Or do the systems of oppression just become more submerged, more insidious, and harder to name? The more time spent catering to white sensitivities is just more time lost.

It really struck me in the “nice white parents” podcast how the progressive white parents were motivated by morality and, more subconsciously, their own vanity… how they were creating schools they wouldn’t send their children to, how they would preach of diversity but were completely clueless to the needs of non-white members of their communities…

And this is the thing, white people, who control and maintain the systems, have been catered to their whole lives. The system is broken / exploitative by design, but they’re given just enough to make it to middle class, just enough to have a good life. And so they tell stories of triumph, do-goodedness, overcoming, hard-work, and bootstraps. They get to see their success “against all odds'' as characteristic of their virtue and character. But really they’re just tools of the state. An army of white parents maintaining the status quo.

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A capitalist framework to public education provides an alternative understanding of how I assess my own experience in private and public schools. My parents sent me to a small, private Jewish elementary school for middle- to high-income families. To afford attending the school, my parents received a scholarship and my mom worked there part-time in addition to her full-time job. Yes, I recognize I grew up with a privilege to be in this position, but at the time I felt “less than” my wealthier peers. I transitioned to public schools for the rest of my education from middle school throughout my undergraduate degree. I’m currently at USC back in a private school setting for the first time in 20 years and, quite frankly, in comparing my public university experience and at least for my degree programs, the hype has not lived up to what I thought a private university education would be like. All of this to say is while I of course did not attain a capitalist framework to school back then, applying the discussion from “Public K12 Education as a Capitalist Industry” is clear to me.

Between reading the articles and watching “If These Cells Could Talk,” I’m wondering what is the balance of federal oversight and state/local jurisdiction for overseeing education policy that will value and center the needs of all students? In “Public K12 Education as a Capitalist Industry,” the article discussion a feature of capitalism being little formal influence by local stakeholders, while an alternative approach of focusing education based on human needs and values is providing individuals and communities self-determination of curriculum and program development. I see both sides of the argument on this, but ultimately believe that in the vain of a person-centric progressive education curriculum and in consideration of the disparity of resources discussed in the articles, this solution may need to be tailored not to every community (i.e. “Critical Race Theory” and the GOP).

Holding this perspective, I do strongly believe an overhaul of the definition of “education” is needed across the United States. As aforementioned article and Washington Post article discusses, the content, hierarchical structure, and community relationship with public school education is disjointed, oppressive, and disparate. I am curious to learn examples of states, cities, and communities who have taken the charge on reforming their education and place an people-centric curriculum lens in public and private schools, starting at daycare all the way through the higher education system.