SFUSD’s implicit bias against Asians is doubly ironic in that not only does it engage in the prejudicial behavior it imagines in others, but it prides itself as a top performing urban school district while never giving credit where credit is due for its aggregate SBAC outperformance, credit that belongs primarily to the ethnic group it bashes…Asians. That does not stop SFUSD from holding annual noontime champagne parties at 555 to congratulate themselves for the District’s SBAC scores, an “achievement” which it manages off the sweat of the Asian community’s ethic of hard-work and disciple. No thanks to the students themselves for prioritizing their own academic achievement over all the fun things they could be doing, an act they they think is white supramacist in its origin.
So a few years ago I decided to do an experiment to see if I could prove my point and determine, numerically, if this idea is truly as inequitable as it appears to be. I no longer have my facts and figures, but I will explain. Imagine a different San Francisco demographic; one more in line with an average California city’s demographic, one without the relatively oversized Asian (primarily Chinese) population of San Francisco. We can accurately estimate the would-be aggregate district SBAC score in this “city” by utilizing the wealth of statistical information provided by the Smarter Balance Consortium. It isn’t difficult to see what will happen. Revising the Asian student population from about 35% to 8% and SFUSD’s aggregate districtwide academic achievement plummets, dropping from being at or near the top urban district performer after San Diego to dead last. But hoorah hoorah. Pop the corks and let’s drink to SFUSD’s ideological wizards who take credit for the very things they despise - academic achievement, especially achievement hard won as a result individual student disciple and effort. It’s no surprise with the moral decline on parade at SFUSD that the central office has melted down and with almost two thousand employees you can’t get anyone to send out a paycheck or answer a phone. It is also no surprise that the public school administrative state has grown by over 87% between 2000 and 2019, while the student population has only grown by 8.7%. But I diverge….
SFUSD’s implicit bias against Asians is doubly ironic in that not only does it engage in the prejudicial behavior it imagines in others, but it prides itself as a top performing urban school district while never giving credit where credit is due for its aggregate SBAC outperformance, credit that belongs primarily to the ethnic group it bashes…Asians. That does not stop SFUSD from holding annual noontime champagne parties at 555 to congratulate themselves for the District’s SBAC scores, an “achievement” which it manages off the sweat of the Asian community’s ethic of hard-work and disciple. No thanks to the students themselves for prioritizing their own academic achievement over all the fun things they could be doing, an act they they think is white supramacist in its origin.
So a few years ago I decided to do an experiment to see if I could prove my point and determine, numerically, if this idea is truly as inequitable as it appears to be. I no longer have my facts and figures, but I will explain. Imagine a different San Francisco demographic; one more in line with an average California city’s demographic, one without the relatively oversized Asian (primarily Chinese) population of San Francisco. We can accurately estimate the would-be aggregate district SBAC score in this “city” by utilizing the wealth of statistical information provided by the Smarter Balance Consortium. It isn’t difficult to see what will happen. Revising the Asian student population from about 35% to 8% and SFUSD’s aggregate districtwide academic achievement plummets, dropping from being at or near the top urban district performer after San Diego to dead last. But hoorah hoorah. Pop the corks and let’s drink to SFUSD’s ideological wizards who take credit for the very things they despise - academic achievement, especially achievement hard won as a result individual student disciple and effort. It’s no surprise with the moral decline on parade at SFUSD that the central office has melted down and with almost two thousand employees you can’t get anyone to send out a paycheck or answer a phone. It is also no surprise that the public school administrative state has grown by over 87% between 2000 and 2019, while the student population has only grown by 8.7%. But I diverge….
Superbly reasoned and argued, Diane…which of course means it will change no minds in this series of societal discussions.
(Didn’t you know that arguing too well is a dog whistle for subjugation to white supremacy? Well, now you do.)