No Child Left Behind: What Worked, What Didn't : NPR Ed : NPR

No Child Left Behind: What Worked, What Didn't : NPR Ed : NPR:

No Child Left Behind: What Worked, What Didn't

Cross your fingers.

Congress is trying to do something it was supposed to do back in 2007: agree on a rewrite of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. It's not controversial to say the law is in desperate need of an update.

The ESEA is hugely important, not just to our nation's schools but the social fabric. It pours billions of federal dollars each year into classrooms that serve low-income students. When President Lyndon Johnson first signed it in 1965, he declared the law "a major new commitment of the federal government to quality and equality in the schooling that we offer our young people."

The ESEA is supposed to be updated every few years but hasn't been rewritten since 2001, when another Texan, President George W. Bush, famously renamed it No Child Left Behind. Bush took Johnson's original vision, to help states level the playing field for students living and learning in poverty, and added teeth.

"We're gonna spend more money, more resources," Bush said at the time, "but they'll be directed at methods that work. Not feel-good methods. Not sound-good methods. But methods that actually work."

Those methods included a sweeping new federal system of testing and accountability — as strict as it was controversial. The message to states was clear: We don't trust you to do the right thing by your most disadvantaged students. Schools that fail to educate all kids should be fixed or closed.

With its emphasis — obsession, critics would say — on standardized testing, the law became unpopular among many teachers and parents and technically expired in 2007. But it's on the books until it's replaced.

Now, the challenge for lawmakers is figuring out what — if any — of Bush's tough-love methods worked. This week, NPR is trying to do the same.

Bush's tough-love approach was motivated by the sense that states weren't doing enough to fix their low-performing schools. NCLB created a new role for the federal government: Tough Guy. Right now, the House and Senate don't agree on much, but they do agree that the Tough Guy routine didn't work.

The recent bills crafted by both chambers — and that must now be reconciled — leave it to the states to decide what to do about struggling schools. That includes how to fix them and whether or when to close them.

But at least one researcher thinks the law, like the classic Tough Guy, is a little misunderstood. And that parts of the law did work.

"NCLB is usually regarded as a sledge hammer, but it's actually fairly complex and fairly nuanced," says Tom Ahn, who teaches at the University of Kentucky.

Ahn has a Ph.D. in economics and writes papers with titles like, "Distributional Impacts of a Local Living Wage Increase." In short, he's an unlikely guy to have written one of the go-to studies on NCLB. But he did. And it's an eye-opener.

A few years ago, Ahn and his colleague, Jacob Vigdor, wondered: In spite of the controversy, did No Child Left Behind do some good? Did it improve low-performing schools? For answers, they studied the schools of North Carolina, though what they found can be applied just about anywhere.

How It Worked

Under NCLB, schools were judged on something called Adequate Yearly Progress. The goal was to get every child to grade-level in reading and math by 2014. It was an No Child Left Behind: What Worked, What Didn't : NPR Ed : NPR:

Too many tests? Obama's plan treats the symptoms, not the cause. - LA Times

Too many tests? Obama's plan treats the symptoms, not the cause. - LA Times:

Too many tests? Obama's plan treats the symptoms, not the cause.

e backlash against education reform as practiced by the Obama administration has been fierce and persistent, and not just from teachers. Parents have mounted their own protests by opting their children out of the annual tests that the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to give. The two bills in Congress to reauthorize the law would return more authority over schools to the states.

President Obama appeared to join the backlash himself over the weekend, saying that students are taking too many standardized tests, and ones of poor quality to boot. He promised to help states figure out how to reduce testing, and to push Congress for legislation barring teachers from spending more than 2% of their class time on tests.

Does this mean the president finally realizes that tests have been given too much power over public education? Don't bet on it.

Obama hasn't voiced support for scaling back federal testing mandates, eliminating harsh measures against schools with low test scores or rolling back the Department of Education's requirement that states link teacher evaluations to test scores if they want waivers from No Child Left Behind's performance standards. California's refusal to give in to the evaluation mandate has kept it from receiving a waiver.

It's quite possible that students take too many tests. But the president's statement ignores why. By and large, the extra tests are used to measure whether students are on track to score well on the big, federally mandated test in the spring that evaluates their schools' performance, the one with serious consequences. Even more important are the much larger amounts of time devoted to rehearsing students for the spring test.

Setting an arbitrary cap on test-taking time — the president's 2% isn't based on a strong body of evidence any more than the teacher evaluation policy was — is unlikely to reduce the time spent on test prep significantly. As long as schools with low test scores can be taken over by charter schools or lose half their staff under No Child Left Behind, and as long as teachers fear losing their jobs if their students' scores haven't measured up, classrooms will be focused more on tests and less on a rounded education.

Standardized tests still have a useful place. They provide an objective measurement of how well students are mastering math and language skills, point out achievement gaps and give useful feedback on which lessons haven't been adequately absorbed. They also signal that certain schools are in dire need of outside intervention.

If Obama is sincere about easing the testing frenzy, he should drop the teacher evaluation mandate and support intensive help, rather than punishment, for struggling schools. His existing proposal would treat the symptoms more than the cause.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion andFacebookToo many tests? Obama's plan treats the symptoms, not the cause. - LA Times:

Charter School Chain Accused of Union Busting - Courthouse News Service

Courthouse News Service:

Charter School Chain Accused of Union Busting

 LOS ANGELES (CN) - A chain of public charter schools is using its charter status to harass and threaten teachers for trying to unionize, California's Public Employment Relations Board claims in court.
     The PERB sued Alliance College-Ready Public Charter Schools and its 27 Los Angeles area campuses in Superior Court on Friday.
     United Teachers Los Angeles, which represents thousands of public schoolteachers in collective bargaining, is named as real party in interest.
     An Alliance spokeswoman called it a "dishonest, malicious and desperate" attempt by the teachers union to "intimidate" Alliance leaders.
     It's the latest of dozens of lawsuits over the years to accuse charter schools of using their status as a smokescreen to spend tax dollars without following state and federal laws on public schools.
     "The core of the injunctive complaint is the allegation that the charter schools are engaging in a campaign of anti-union activity," the PERB's General Counsel J. Felix De La Torre told Courthouse News.
     The status quo injunction is intended to "end this pattern of conduct" so the PERB can investigate four charges already before it and determine if state law has been violated, De La Torres said.
     About 70 teachers emailed Alliance's board of directors in March, announcing their intent to unionize with United Teachers and asking Alliance to meet and discuss "a fair and neutral process to organize," the complaint states, citing one of the open letters.
     In response, Alliance sent a 4-page letter "that was critical of UTLA, collective bargaining, and unionization and urged employees not to sign authorization cards," the complaint states.
     Shortly afterward, the board says, principal Lori Rhodes kicked a union representative off an Alliance campus for discussing unionization with teacher Michelle Buckowski. Rhodes then harassed Buckowski, telling her that supporting the union "was an uneducated position," and that Buckowski should "focus on her upcoming formal performance evaluation."
     Neither Rhodes nor Buckowski are named as parties to the complaint.
     Alliance banned several other union reps from its campuses for after-school meetings with teachers, claiming they had no right to enter private property. It harassed teachers it caught handing out "union-related flyers" and ordered them to stop it, according to the complaint.
     Frustrated, United Teachers in April filed two unfair practice charges with the board that accused Alliance of anti-union bias, the complaint states.
     But Alliance continued harassing teachers and union reps by, among other things, spying on meetings between teachers and union organizers; forcing teacher Albert Chu to resign after he discussed unionization with other teachers; blocking emails sent from the union to teachers' work addresses; sending a letter to parents claiming that the union did not have its students' or teachers best interests "at heart;" and posting an online petition opposing organization on its website and demanding that teachers sign it, according to the complaint.
     Alliance runs 27 charter schools for 12,000 students in and around Los Angeles, and more than 84 percent of its money comes from local, state and federal taxes, according to the company's 2014 Annual Report .
     In that report, Alliance reported $320 million in assets, $181 million of it in property.
     Of its $116 million in "Revenue and Support," 71.1 percent ($89.5 million) was "state and local," 13.6 percent ($15.8 million) was "federal," 6.8 percent ($7.8 million) came from private donations, and 2.5 percent ($2.9 million) was designated "other," in the annual report.
     Of its $99.6 million in expenses, 73.9 percent ($73.1 million) went to instruction, 12.6 percent ($12.5 million) to operations and administration, 12.9 percent ($12.8 million) to facilities and interest, and 0.6 percent ($562,664) to fund raising, according to the annual report.
     It is precisely this receipt and spending of tax dollars that should make Alliance and all public charter schools subject to nondiscrimination laws and other state and federal education laws, charter school critics say.
     The PERB filed unfair labor practice complaints against Alliance in late June and scheduled an informal settlement conference for August, "but the parties did not resolve their differences" at the meeting, the complaint states.
     A formal hearing before Administrative Law Judge Morizawa was set for early November, but Alliance kept harassing pro-union teachers and banning organizers from its campuses, prompting the union to file two additional charges, according to the complaint.
     After general counsel De La Torre completed his investigation of the union's complaints in mid-October, he granted its request to seek injunctive relief against Alliance and all of its schools in court, the complaint states.
     "Defendants' alleged chilling conduct in the midst of UTLA's organizing efforts has long been understood as likely to cause an irreparable injury to union representation, because UTLA's position may deteriorate to the point that effective organization and representation is no longer possible, as time passes the benefits of unionization are lost, the spark to organize is extinguished, and the deprivation to employees of representation is immeasurable. Permitting an alleged unfair labor practice to reach fruition and thereby render meaningless PERB's [the board's] remedial authority constitutes irreparable harm," the complaint states.
     Catherine Suitor, chief development and communications officer for Alliance, told Courthouse News in an email that Alliance is "disappointed ... but not completely surprised" at the lawsuit, "given the make-up of the PERB board, the majority of whom are former labor leaders, including several from the California Teachers Association."
     Suitor said Alliance has respected its teachers' right to unionize from the get-go and has allowed teachers to hand out information and freely discuss unionization on and off campus.
     She said Alliance has included its staff in the discussion so everyone can share their opinions and experiences and have access to the facts, "not just opinions from UTLA, an organization that for years has been opposed to charter schools and Alliance in particular."
     "Alliance has been guided by expert legal counsel throughout the campaign and has acted with integrity and transparency. UTLA's attempts to denounce and intimidate Alliance leadership with attacks on our character are dishonest, malicious and desperate," Suitor wrote.
     "The Alliance community is proud of our teachers, and we share their commitment to providing a high-quality education for all students. We remain steadfast in our commitment to always put the needs of students first and foremost. Alliance College-Ready Public Schools expresses our disappointment at the continued divisive and disruptive attacks by UTLA against our schools and teachers."
     The PERB seeks an injunction ordering Alliance to allow union organizers to meet with teachers on its campuses, to stop retaliating against teachers who express interest in unionizing, and to reinstate teacher Chu with full back pay, bonuses and reimbursementCourthouse News Service:

California NAACP takes stand on limiting role of School Resource Officers #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh | Cloaking Inequity

California NAACP takes stand on limiting role of School Resource Officers #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh | Cloaking Inequity:

California NAACP takes stand on limiting role of School Resource Officers #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh

MSNBC reported,

A cell phone video shot inside a South Carolina high school Monday appeared to show a police officer body-slamming a female student and dragging her across a classroom.

The confrontation, at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina, has drawn intense criticism on social media, from the school district’s Black Parents Association — the student is African-American — and the American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina, which called the deputy’s actions “egregious.”

“There is no justification whatsoever for treating a child like this,” the ACLU said in a statement.

In a news conference, a spokesman for the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, Curtis Wilson, identified the officer in the video as Ben Fields.

The sheriff, Leon Lott, was out of town, Wilson said, but had watched the video and was “disturbed.”

The department and its internal affairs division wereCalifornia NAACP takes stand on limiting role of School Resource Officers #AssaultAtSpringValleyHigh | Cloaking Inequity:

Fragile Truce Shows Signs of Crumbling During Newark School Board Meeting - NJ Spotlight

Fragile Truce Shows Signs of Crumbling During Newark School Board Meeting - NJ Spotlight:

FRAGILE TRUCE SHOWS SIGNS OF CRUMBLING DURING NEWARK SCHOOL BOARD MEETING

Charter-school advocates clash with teachers’ union leader, students disrupt gathering and chant ‘Cerf must go’

Protesting students disrupt yesterday's meeting of the Newark school board.

It’s not like he had a wide berth to begin with, but the relative calm that greeted Chris Cerf’s arrival as the new superintendent of Newark schools is pretty much over.

At the local school board’s monthly public meeting last night, the rancor of the Cami Anderson era was back, with the Newark Teachers Union stepping up its presence and many of the usual activists on hand.

At one point early in the meeting held at University High School, a dozen members of the outspoken student group who once took over former superintendent Anderson’s office disrupted the meeting by setting up in front of the stage with a banner reading “Full Local Control.”

“Cerf must go, Cerf must go,” a few chanted.

The superintendent, the state’s former education commissioner, remained largely stoic throughout. Unlike his predecessor, he has vowed to stay at the public meetings and face the consequences.

He did issue a statement later in the evening, saying it was “unfortunate that a few people chose to speak outside the confines of the public comment structure, interfering with our ability to share information and to learn more about how we Fragile Truce Shows Signs of Crumbling During Newark School Board Meeting - NJ Spotlight:

Star-Ledger Says NJ Parents Who Opted-Out of PARCC are "Sabotaging the Data" | Truth in American Education

Star-Ledger Says NJ Parents Who Opted-Out of PARCC are "Sabotaging the Data" | Truth in American Education:

Star-Ledger Says NJ Parents Who Opted-Out of PARCC are “Sabotaging the Data”

Hubris.

And that raises a core question for opponents of this test, and all those who boycotted it: Would New Jersey somehow be better off not knowingthese facts? To ask that question is to answer it. The notion is absurd.

The PARCC test, unlike earlier standardized tests, is designed to help teachers and principals identify exactly where kids are learning, and where they are struggling. That can help educators tailor their lessons to be more effective.

It also allows states to compare their performance to other states, with an apples to apples measure. Under the current system, each state offers its own tests. That allows them to claim success when their only real accomplishment is to lower the bar to artificially boost scrores. That’s known as the “honesty gap” which many educators, and leaders like former Gov. Tom Kean, have decried.

Perhaps most important, these tests could be an important tool in the fight to close the achievement gap between black and white students, which stubbornly persists in New Jersey — not just between cities and suburbs, but within racially mixed, suburban towns like Montclair. How can we fix that problem if we can’t measure it?

Those who boycotted this test undermined those efforts. Yes, the resistance to testing is understandable, and many educators agree that the load has grown too large. But 

Star-Ledger Says NJ Parents Who Opted-Out of PARCC are "Sabotaging the Data" | Truth in American Education:

 About Advance Publications, Inc.
Star-Ledger 

Advance Publications, Inc., is a privately held communications company that, directly or through subsidiaries, owns Condé Nast Publications, American City Business Journals, the Golf Digest Companies, and newspapers in more than twenty-five American cities; Advance Publications' subsidiaries also have extensive interests in cable television, as well as in Internet sites which are related to its print publications.

An Open Letter to America's Parents and Teachers: Let's Make Our Testing Smarter | Barack Obama

An Open Letter to America's Parents and Teachers: Let's Make Our Testing Smarter | Barack Obama:

An Open Letter to America's Parents and Teachers: Let's Make Our Testing Smarter

Here's a simple question: If your kids had more free time at school, what would you want them to do with it?

If you're like most parents, here's what I suspect you wouldn't want your children to be doing with their extra time in the classroom: Taking more standardized tests. I certainly wouldn't want that for my girls.

In moderation, I believe smart, strategic tests can help us measure our kids' progress in school. As a parent, I want to know how my kids are doing, and I want their teachers to know that, too. As President, I want to hold all of us accountable for making sure every child, everywhere, is learning what he or she needs to be successful.

But when I look back on the great teachers who shaped my life, what I remember isn't the way they prepared me to take a standardized test. What I remember is the way they taught me to believe in myself. To be curious about the world. To take charge of my own learning so that I could reach my full potential. They inspired me to open up a window into parts of the world I'd never thought of before.

These aren't the kinds of things you can easily measure by filling in the right bubble. In letters, emails and conversations around the country, I've heard from parents who worry that too much testing is keeping their kids from learning some of life's most important lessons. I've heard from teachers who feel so much pressure to teach to a test that it takes the joy out of teaching and learning, both for them and for the students. I want to fix that.

I've asked the Department of Education to work aggressively with states and school districts to make sure that any tests we use in our classroom meet three basic principles.

First, our kids should only take tests that are worth taking -- tests that are high quality, aimed at good instruction, and make sure everyone is on track.

Second, tests shouldn't occupy too much classroom time, or crowd out teaching and learning.

And third, tests should be just one source of information. We should use classroom work, surveys, and other factors to give us an all-around look at how our students and schools are doing.

You can learn more in our new Testing Action Plan.

The Council of the Great City Schools -- a group of the nation's largest urban public school systems -- recently released a new report that surveyed standardized testing in our schools and found that the average student in some school systems are taking 112 standardized tests before high school graduation. The report shows how much opportunity there is to eliminate redundant and uncoordinated tests -- and free up more classroom time for teaching and learning. You can take a look at that here.

We're going to work with states, school districts, teachers and parents to make sure the principles I outlined are reflected in classrooms across our country -- and together, we're going to help prepare our kids for a lifetime of success.

If you've got thoughts on this topic, I want to hear them. Share them right here.

An Open Letter to America's Parents and Teachers: Let's Make Our Testing Smarter | Barack Obama:

Follow Barack Obama on Twitter: www.twitter.com/potus

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Standardized TestingFr éDucationEducation ReformPublic Education ReformBarack Obama United States  

Tensions erupt at Newark school board meeting | Bob Braun's Ledger

Tensions erupt at Newark school board meeting | Bob Braun's Ledger:

Tensions erupt at Newark school board meeting

A growing sense of impatience and frustration over continued state control of the Newark schools and increasing encroachment by privately-operated charter schools boiled over into disruption Monday night at a regular meeting of the city’s school board. A pro-public school activist, Jimmy White, charged the stage at University High School where board members were sitting, angrily denouncing the system’s business administrator. Although White was ejected by security guards, students and others in the audience cheered him on and continued to disrupt the meeting after his eviction.

“You have to go,” shouted White as he strode toward the stage. He was aiming his comments at Valerie Wilson, the business administrator who had just completed a long presentation outlining just how difficult it would be for local control of schools to be returned to Newark after 20 years of state control. “You brought us these problems.”

Newark Student Union leaders Jose Leonardo (left) and Tanaisa Brown, lead chants in White’s support

Tensions already were high because of an apparent decision by pro-charter school parents and leaders to push back against increasing demands by pro-public school activists to slow the burgeoning growth of the privately-operated charter schools.

Increasing enrollment of charter schools, which are publicly-funded, decreases the amount of funds available to traditional, neighborhood public schools. That is happening at the same time that the state administration is cutting funds because of a budget shortfall.

Roberto Cabanes, who helped organize the Newark Student Union, speaks to supporters outside University High School.

The pro-public school advocates have lost ground recently. The city’s planning board–with the apparent blessing of Mayor Ras Baraka–approved the building of a new charter school by the NorthStar chain on land once owned by The Star-Ledger. The New York-based chain of KIPP charter schools–known in Newark as TEAM Academy–also announced plans to open five new charter schools. A consortium of from three to five public schools also is expected to try to convert to charters.

One of the pro-public school advocates, Annette Allston, a vice president of the Newark Teachers Association,  predicted the city would soon “become another New Orleans” where all public schools have been closed and replaced by charters. Charters now enrollt about a third of all Newark students but that number is expected to grow to nearly 70 percent in a few years.

The pro-public school advocates also felt the sting of the possible loss of a champion, Baraka, who rode to election last year  on a wave of anti-privatization sentiment. Since that time, he has moved closer to the supporters of charter schools.

Baraka did not show up–but his pro-charter rival in last year’s election, Shavar Jeffries, did. Jeffries is now head of the pro-charter Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) that blames public school unions  for  the failure of urban schools.

The night saw a resurgence of the Newark Student Union, an organization that Tensions erupt at Newark school board meeting | Bob Braun's Ledger:

The Waltons Promote the (Failing) Tennessee ASD | deutsch29

The Waltons Promote the (Failing) Tennessee ASD | deutsch29:

The Waltons Promote the (Failing) Tennessee ASD

On October 26, 2015, the Walton Foundation sent this email to subscribers of its Walton Family Foundation (WFF) list, wffnews@wffmail.com.  Here is an excerpt:

Dear [Name],

Bobby White graduated from Frayser High School in Memphis in 1990. Last fall, he came back — not just as an alumnus but as the school’s leader.

In the time since White’s graduation, the school had become “chaotic,” and the students’ achievement was suffering. The school was in the bottom 5% of schools in the state of Tennessee, and so were many of the other schools in the local community.

“There needed to be a lightning bolt to kind of shock the school into a new state of thinking,” White told us.

Because of its low performance, the school (now renamed MLK Prep) had been designated as part of the Achievement School District (ASD) — a special district created in Tennessee to dramatically improve the bottom 5% of the state’s schools.

The email comes from the Walton Foundation’s “K12 Education Program Director,” Marc Sternberg, who was once senior deputy chancellor at the New York City Department of Education, and whose career in education began in the mid-1990s as a Teach for America (TFA) temp teacher. Sternberg is promoting the Walton priority of opening charters in select cities.

Sternberg’s email promotes Tennessee’s Achievement School District (ASD) by focusing on a Memphis school that has been in ASD for only one year, MLK Prep (formerly Frayser High School).

What caught my attention immediately is that this Walton charter school promotional showcases a school that is relatively new to ASD, which the Walton sell defines as “a special district created in Tennessee to dramatically improve the bottom 5% of the state’s schools.”

So, if ASD dramatically improves schools, why feature a school that has been in ASD for only a single year? Why not feature schools that have been in ASD for years The Waltons Promote the (Failing) Tennessee ASD | deutsch29:

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch won't seek another term | WBFO

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch won't seek another term | WBFO:

Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch won't seek another term

The leader of the New York State Board of Regents will not seek a new term. Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch made the announcement at the start of board meeting in Albany Monday morning.

Listen

Listening...

0:58

WBFO's Eileen Buckley has reaction on Chancellor Tisch's plans not to seek another term.

Tisch was first selected to serve as chancellor in 2009. She has been with the Board of Regents for 20-years, first appointed in 1996.  She was re-elected to five-year terms in 2001, 2006 and 2011. 

Tisch has been in charged since the implementation of the highly controversial Common Core Learning Standards. 

The Executive director of the Network for Public Education Foundation, Carol Burris, was in our studio earlier this month, where she called for Tisch to step aside."I think that it's time for Merryl Tisch to go," stated Burris.  

When we reached Burris Monday afternoon, the retired Long-Island Principal, said she was 'very pleased' to learn Tisch would be leaving when her term ends in March.

Carol Burris, Executive director of the Network for Public Education Foundation, recently called for Tisch to step down.

CREDIT WBFO NEWS PHOTO BY EILEEN BUCKLEY

"She created a lot of problems for the students and the schools in New York State as well meaning as she might be, and I'm really looking forward to new leadership in that position," responded Burris.

Burris said Tisch should have stepped aside during the back-lash over Common Core. 

"Many of the decisions she made and push were weak ones," said Burris.  "I think if she had put life-time educators in that position, I think it would have been a more successful term, instead she was heavily involved during the very difficult time and I think she made a lot of poor decisions. It's going to take a while for New York to recover from that."

Tisch is a former first-grade teacher. Her current term ends in March.  

In announcing her decision, Tisch urged board members to continue to pursue higher learning standards.

The New York State United Teachers also reacting to Tisch's announcement.  The union issued a statement saying it 'opens the door to a new direction in state education policy — one that more fully respects the voices of parents and teachers and values teaching and learning ahead of standardized testing and data-driven Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch won't seek another term | WBFO:

Greater Wisdom — Hmong Innovating Politics

Greater Wisdom — Hmong Innovating Politics:

HOW GOVERNOR JERRY BROWN MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE CALIFORNIA SMARTER BY VETOING AB 176

By Andy Le, HIP Member

On October 7, 2015, California Governor Jerry Brown vetoed AB 176, a bill that would have required California’s Community College system to collect disaggregated data on Asian American and Pacific Islander (API) subgroups. In his veto message, California Governor Jerry Brown wrote,

“Dividing people into ethnic or other subcategories may yield more information, but not necessarilygreater wisdom about what actions should follow."

UNFORTUNATELY, GOVERNOR BROWN’S DECISION TO VETO AB 176 FAILS TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE SIGNIFICANT WISDOM AND MORE THOUGHTFUL PUBLIC POLICY THAT HAS ALREADY RESULTED FROM THE ON-GOING BATTLE TO MOVE BEYOND THE “OTHER ASIAN” CATEGORY.

A DREAM DENIED

In 2003, UC Berkeley Professor Khatharaya Um published A Dream Denied (2003) about Southeast Asians and their challenges in higher education. In the groundbreaking report, Professor Um chronicled the struggles of Southeast Asian American students using disaggregated data and recommended additional support for student retention and high school outreach programs. The insights gained from this small sample size of data helped drive campus initiatives that saw increases in student retention and success among historically underserved populations.  

READ HIP'S LETTER URGING GOVERNOR BROWN TO SIGN AB 176

COUNT ME IN!

While AB 176 was ambitious in trying to codify disaggregated data collection into State law for community colleges, it was not an unprecedented change in regards to higher education. Nearly ten years ago, in the culmination of the student-led “Count Me In” Campaign, the University of California recognized the tremendous wisdom in understanding the diversity within the API community and agreed to further disaggregated its data collection. Spearheaded by student leaders from UCLA’s Asian Pacific Coalition, the “Count Me In” campaign helped bring to the light the challenges many API students encounter in trying to access higher education. Moreover, the “Count Me In” Campaign helped policy makers and school administrators better target resources to low-income and first generation students who needed the most support.

Read more about the Count Me In! Campaign here:

• UC gets strong response to Asian 'Count Me In' Campaign - Oakland Tribune, November 2007
• 30 under 30: "Count Me In" Campaign - Angry Asian Man - May 2009
• The Significance of Data Disaggregation to the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Community - White House Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders - July 2012

PLANTING NEW SEEDS AT UC IRVINE

I co-founded the Southeast Asian Student Association (SASA) in the fall of 2012. The passion behind the formation of SASA was to continue the dialogue of the Southeast Asian refugee experience and to allow students to tell their family stories. Our family stories are often left out of history textbooks, which provides important insight on themes of trauma, war, displacement, colonization, violence, and much more. Therefore,  SASA created a space for political, cultural, and educational advancement of Southeast Asian students.

I researched and requested disaggregated data on freshman retention rates by specific Southeast Asian ethnic groups. Somewhat surprisingly, I noticed the administration’s lack of attention to Southeast Asian students educational experiences based on the low retention and graduation rates. As a result, I piloted a seminar-program called Southeast Asian Retention through Creating Hxstory (SEARCH) to assist incoming first-year and transfer Southeast Asian students.  The importance of disaggregated data supported the funding of SEARCH, identified key student retention issues and the development of a holistic advising model. SEARCH ignited a needed discussion surrounding retention on a national level supported by the Southeast Asian American Studies Conference.  

“Choosing to know less about our communities is not wise. In fact, being ignorant to the diversity within the State of California dangerously overlooks the social, economic, health, and educational disparities that continue to exist.

— Andy Le, HIP Member

By vetoing AB 176, Governor Brown perpetuates the model minority myth and exacerbates the invisibility, marginalization, and untold hxstories of our community. Choosing to know less about our communities is not wise. In fact, being ignorant to the diversity within the State of California dangerously overlooks the social, economic, health, and educational disparities that continue to exist.

Disaggregated data gives decision makers and administrators wisdom they would otherwise never have. Fully Greater Wisdom — Hmong Innovating Politics: