Eugenic Legacies Still Influence Education
"Every student, every day" - a reminder to myself posted in my classroom. (photo: Ramin Rahimian)
One of the most important guiding principles in education is in loco parentis – we are morally and legally obliged to act “in place of the parent” when children are in our care. That principle is the main reason for the sharply negative and visceral reaction I had when I read about John F. Kennedy High School using color-coded identification cards based on student test scores, and then a later article describing a similar program at Cypress High School (both in Orange County, California). According to the Orange County Register, the different