An excerpt:
Whiteness has become “toxic” under schools Chancellor Richard Carranza’s regime, insiders charge.
At least four top Department of Education executives who have been demoted or stripped of duties under Carranza’s sweeping reorganization are poised to sue the city, claiming he has created “an environment which is hostile toward whites,” a source told The Post.
The women — all white, veteran administrators — contend they were pushed aside for less qualified persons of color.
“These decisions are being made because DOE leadership believes that skin color plays a role in how to get equity — that white people can’t convey the message,” said a source familiar with the complaints.
“There’s a toxic whiteness concept going on.”
DOE of course denies any of the promotions, demotions or early retirements are because of race.
In my experience with the DOE, once Joel Klein left hiring up to whatever supervisor was responsible for filling a position without any regard for civil service norms, the hiring and firing culture became one where looking out for your own kind was often acceptable. The bias cuts in many different ways.
Further down in the Post article, we learn more about the Central DOE culture:
“Since Carranza took office, he’s brought in a lot of new people. As a result, it’s been bureaucratic chaos and backbiting, with deputies and their subordinates seeking better perches in the pecking order,” said David Bloomfield, a Brooklyn College and CUNY Grad Center education professor.
“Racial tensions appear to be one manifestation of these internal battles.”
Sue then shifts her focus toward a different aspect of the race story as her piece continues:
Meanwhile, the DOE has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants to coach supervisors on how to “disrupt the power structure and dismantle institutional racism,” a supervisor said.
“There’s been a lot of discussion of white supremacy and how it manifests in the workplace, conversations about race, and looking at how the white culture behaves,” said a white executive who received the training.
“White supremacy is characterized by perfectionism, a belief in meritocracy, and the Protestant work ethic,” the exec said, adding that whites who object when accused of deep-rooted bias are called “fragile” and “defensive.”
“Can you imagine if we scrutinized blackness or brownness? We’re being trained in anti-bias not to stereotype blacks, but they’re fostering a stereotyping of whites.”
For those who wonder why white voters often appear to vote against their own economic interest by voting Republican, look no further than this story for some of the answer.
Some of the folks who comment here and forced me to moderate might want to chime in as some of the usual stuff is fine with this story. Go ahead but please be careful. It is still a family blog mostly.
61 comments:
I think the situation involved is racism - I don't know why it would be termed 'reverse racism'.
I am white and Jewish. I hear "Hitler" all the time. I also hear white piece of shit. This is wildly inappropriate and offensive. Meanwhile, the students call each other nigga. Anyway, can you imagine if this was the opposite? If a white chancellor was said to be discriminating against blacks. We are being held down. 400 years of torture and discrimination. Racism is still alive in the country. Trump is causing this. The double standard is astounding.
How is it possible, when white people get masters degrees and college degrees a tremendous amount more than blacks, how are all these supervisors black in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The odds of that must be a billion to one. They must be looking for specific people, qualified or not, to fill the positions. I still hear "supervisors" use slang and improper English when speaking. Students know they can do whatever they want and get away with it. It seems that is rampant in the doe. The less you do, we just push you through. Cant read, cant write, graduate anyway.
Um , i think we have to wonder why ALL, or most of the APs and principals in black schools are minority. That is almost a statistical impossibility unless they are doing it purposely. It isnt a good feeling when you are white and you are outnumbered 34 to 1 in the classroom and 54 to 3 on staff, and then treated like shit because you are white. White people in the doe are easy targets. It is actually an uncomfortable feeling.
Have you noticed Jews getting sucker punched and spit on by blacks in the streets? It is on the news every day.
Its quite obvious that Carranza leads the new wave of anti white rhetoric and renewed affirmative action. Since when is it ok for administrators to be nearly illiterate and have little to no knowledge and experience. Why are these people replacing the prior generation? You guessed it.
Teachers and society have watched the disintegration of schools for decades due to the lack of parenting. Its a shame that NYC has produced a majority of unemployable minority students.
The dumbing down phenomena must end. Cut the bullshit. Add vocational training as a priority. Stop requiring reagents and other non attainable goals to the mass of students who are destined for failure. Teach them to use their hands and minds. Experiential learning works. Dewey spelled it out a long time ago. Place these kids in programs early to get them ready for work. The diplomas being handed out are worthless to the intelligent world. It has nothing to do with color. If The students are not truly college bound then we as a system are preparing them for very, very little.
The race card is political.Diversity is here to stay. Allow the cream of the crop to rise. Its because they earned it. Doing well in school is cool.
Our elementary schools are good. Its way happens in middle schools through graduation that destroys the generations.
I can go on but I will let the forum provide more analysis. Teachers don't see the color of students. They see people who they must provide education and the value of it to survive and prosper.
What is the problem? Are the Asian kids making it difficult for the teachers to conduct their lessons? Are the Asian kids making it hard to learn in the classroom for the other diverse students? Who is keeping the black and Hispanic kids from achieving in school? Is like to know.
Agree with above, other way around, MSNBC, CNN, black lives matter, Sharpton l, all the dem candidates etc would be rioting. Whites just have to take the racism and abuse.
Fraud grades. Fraud graduation. Fraud open market transfer. Fraud hiring practices.
I hereby insist we install new quotas of 6.5% for black athletes in the NFL, NBA, etc. Merit shmerit.
--please delete this comment like so many others, like a good leftist.
The more I think about this the more utterly disgusting it is. I kind of knew it was going on, with de blasio, but couldn't really say anything because I'd be called racist. How does this not call for tons of lawsuits. The doe openly says we need more men of color. Maybe this is why my open market applications go unanswered. This has become a disgusting profession. The fraud of everything, and now this in the Post.
I am a white, middle aged, hetero, male. That makes me the devil incarnate in the twisted world of the DOE. I can't wait to get out of this cesspool.
Yeah, hire blacks, pay them 200k to tell us the enormous failing is because of white supremacy. The mayor and chancellor constantly bend over for these people to explain them not being able to get by, see the admissions test.
And to think, the uft had him on stage at the spring conference...
That's all they can do, make up excuses as to why they fail. Then they find s liberal like de blasio who does it for them, puts them in power, then the reparations begin. Time to put whitey in his place. How sad for the white staff.
My valedictorian can barely write English, comes in late, eats in class, yet got how much in scholarship money? Why is he lauded? Skin color alone? Affirmative action? Seems to be doe practice. No wonder why 4 years later they couldn't get through college and are making minimum wage. But that isn't spoken about. Highest fake grad rates ever, right?
The white teacher, adult, with a stellar record or the black teen with 17 arrests, no morals, ethics, in school to wreck the place. They will always pick the kid.
The media, celebs, mayor, chancellor will always paint the picture of good kids trying really hard from a tough background. What a crock. They are more trouble than anything. Have no desire except for welfare grades.
But did you call the parents? But I put grades in Jupiter grades every day, for every class. Why aren't the parents checking. I'm required but they aren't? Why are the kids failing? I give the work, they don't do it. How can I explain? Let them make it up? Even the no shows? But the school policy says they have 1 week. Why am I giving them work from February? We had a 99% grad rate last year. Even 2 no shows graduated. Report card grades were 55, 55, 85. Average to a 65. Amazing.
On Tucker Carlson now, Is merit overlooked in college acceptance? Student were advised to claim to be minorities. More and more pretending not to be white. Well, there ya go. Free ride. Sound like Brooklyn Tech? And dont forget the diversity score on the SAT.
That's it 851, grades and graduation based on nothing. They can't do elementary school work in HS. They dont know how to divide and find an average. Seriously.
What time it is? Where you was? I was with my moms. We wasnt talking. College ready.
You didnt know the SAT was culturally biased? If a black kid does badly in school there must be a reason that has to do with lack of fairness. It cant be a broken home because the mom got pregnant at 15, or their culture, or poor parenting, or they dont give a shit, laziness, or they spend all day smoking or texting, or stealing.
Instead of this, maybe Carranza can focus on the gang activity in our schools. I guess that would be racist because it would focus on back an hispanic youth, and would lead to an unfair amount of suspensions.
There is clearly an anti-white agenda here and it is a very costly one. 27% of the NYC budget goes toward education. Do the taxpayers not mind paying so much into a corrupt and immoral system?
Dont forget I brang, I brung, mines. And this is acceptable? 85 in English. Mastery.
The real reason middle class folks, of any color, won’t send their kids to NYC public schools is safety. I would work three jobs or home schools my kids before I would send them to a public school in the Bronx. There’s been reverse racism in the schools for at least twenty five years. It shows complete ignorance, but it’s marginally hidden. I noticed on Goldstein’s NY Ed’s blog that the UFT Executive Board didn’t even mention it. What’s worse and in your face discrimination is ageism - if you are over 45, watch out, get out your hazmat suit, because you’re going into the ATR cesspool.
Oh we poor white people, particular us guys. We've had it so tough in life compared to black people. Cops stop us all the time. And so many of us get shot in the back. And the jobs - how we have been discriminated against for 150 years. Like in a profession that is 75% women, there are no white male supervisors. Oh dreary life.
707, blacks commit much more crime, that's why they are arrested more. Anyway, yeah, it can be tough when work is nothing but being ridiculed.
Haha, teacher just said the effect Trump is having on the kids is irritating. So Trump is the reason students who have never done well arent doing well.
The whole media is anti-white. Does it surprise you that a liberal mayor, mexican chancellor, and all these schools that are full of failing black kids would be any different. They need a scapegoat.
These kids are taught from day one that there is no accountability, it is always someone else's fault, and they could expect a handout at all time. There will always be someone there to push them through, change their grade or pay for their sneakers and food. Disrespect whoever you want, have no skills, graduate because we have to pass them, etc.
Are we allowed to copy and paste report card grades and comments, with no names, and send them to Edelman? Student work too? That would be quite embarrassing for the principal, mayor, chancellor...
Anybody have any possible solutions? Remember, Republicans and corporate Democrats want to charterize and privatize. Let's accept that a part of the left wants to blame institutional racism. What would you propose we do? Serious question.
There has to be accountability for students. They shouldn’t be allowed to beat their teachers and be back sitting in the classroom the next day. These students are graduating without any academic skills or vocational skills and they think the world owes them a living and they can do whatever they like. Karma is waiting for them, the DOE and the UFT ( for staying silent, even now).
I agree.
Solution is that we have to start from scratch, abandon these ridiculous directions where everyone passes for nothing, and not allow students through the system being unable to write a sentence. Also no makeup bullshit packets in June after failing the first 2 marking periods.
That will never happen as the pass rates and grad rates would fall to levels nobody in power would want. Think about it, if I graded honestly, maybe 10% would pass.
There should be armed guards in the largely orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.I noticed that its the teenage black kids that are the attackers. What's their rationale? Is it a gang ritual? Who's the brains behind this? Black hatred of whites is very prominent. How do I know? I'm a doe teacher for 30 years.
White teachers, white teachers with Republican viewpoints, white teachers with 20 plus years, and generally any white teacher is at the mercy of a system that believes that "white supremacy" exists. That being said, Carranza, de blasio, and the UFT have basically thrown white teachers in front of the bus.To me a math problem is a math problem, a science problem a science problem, etc. It should make no difference the color of that educators skin. Additionally, I have worked under many fine hard working black and Latino supervisors who I personally had no problem with. However, there were many minority hires of candidates where one would have to scratch their head. The system in my opinion has gotten into the let's get someone from the neighborhood because the students can relate better to them. To me Carranza is racist, and his attempt to integrate schools like Bronx High School of Science will be the final nail in the coffin of the NYC DOE
Nice place you've got here, James.
Well one big issue is the small school. In the giant high school I went to if you failed a class you took it again and missed out on an elective or lost a study hall etc. We had a lot of options. Which we needed because we were held to standards. There were no grade teams, just departments and you would have all grades in just about all classes, it was common to have 10-12th graders in most science and math classes, and all electives had 9-12th. You took classes you needed and that was that.
In our lovely small schools students don't get to choose electives. Which technically makes it not an elective right? lol Ask any arts teacher, your school probably has one, ONLY one, and they will tell you how much fun the fun class is when half of the kids don't find it fun. Imagine you hate the sound of a trumpet and there you are being forced to be in a brass band, Or you can't draw to save your life and you hate it yet you are subjected to drawing still lifes all day. And top that off by having to teach the same kids from 6-8 or 9-12th , they just grow to hate the subject and resent you if they don't like it. And who can blame them, that's why they are usually elected by students to take right?
The high school experience in NYC is a watered down piece of crap compared to the past. Hell you can't even be an alumni with all the small schools and big schools closing and being renamed. I was in a "Campus" and would laugh when people came looking for transcripts from a school that was re-organized. Talk about a wild goose chase.
I could rant all day but there it is, it's all a sham on both ends and unless you can check your integrity at the door your days are numbered.
The only solution is to impeach DiBlasio and Carranza but most importantly get rid of Mulgrew. It's time for the UFT to be led by a man or woman with testicular fortitude.
Chancellor and mayor both need to go away. The liberal policies dont help anyone long term.
The public schools could improve if people with integrity, honor and truth were in charge of the schools. Considering these words are in complete contrast to the values of school administrators and politicians, nothing is going to change for the better.
The fish stinks from the head down. Fixing the schools will not fix the corruption and immorality in the DOE, the UFT, the mayors office, in Albany or in Washington.
And the excuses will continue to be that we white people have implicit bias, and this is the reason students can't read, can't write, cant speak, cant tell time, have no work ethic, dobt pass tests, dont do hw, curse at use, blame us, blame the police, blame the Republicans.
The blame lays with us - we’ve allowed everyone to shit on us - our employer, the administration, the kids, the media and the government. The UFT reflects our true nature - passive, afraid, apathetic, amoral and greedy.
I'm opting out on June 16.
After reading these comments I need to take a shower. This blog has become a home for every racist in the UFT.
Agreed, at some point, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, or a million times, shame on me. The UFT, DOE and students have proven what they are a million times over. There will be no fixing of the situation. Yes, while we are getting paid, this is torture, and an absolute lose-lose situation.
Leaving the union will just make the situation worse for all of us.
7:15, Would you prefer we just ignore the issue? We could do that but asking for solutions I think is a better way forward.
If we pulled together as teachers, we could take our collective power back and improve the system for everyone.
In my opinion, race is used as a wedge issue to divide working people. We have far more that unites us than divides us.
Reasonable accountability for everyone including the students is not a pipe dream. I worked for a principal right up until 2018 who brought teachers in her office to explain any passing grade for a student who did not have the seat time to earn credit. It can be done.
As for the politics, a union should stand for integrity of the numbers.
I think pretty much everything posted here has been fair. Race, or racism is the topic, perpetrated by the mayor and chancellor, by the way. As the complain, they are doing the same thing, targeting, hiring and removing, based on their intent, only wanting to hire minorities.
So this is how a science teacher gave a test today...The lowest grade you are allowed to give is 45, even if the student gets a zero, so lets assume a zero. She then gave a 15 point curve. She then told the students if they get a couple right out of 50, they still pass. How is that valid? SHouldnt that be in the NY Post?
Wanna hear another funny one? We give a mock regents. We tell them it is getting graded as a test. A girl asks if it being based on completion or accuracy. So some teachers grade highly if the kids finish? As in, they can just bubble in anything and get 100%. College ready as usual.
1139 and 1210 are funny. A zero equals a 45 plus 15 curve. 60 points to start. No wonder we are in despair.
At 18 years od, don't know when to use A vs AN? IS WAS WERE? Hmm...99 percent grad rate.
No adult should be working in
@NYCSchools
without deep consciousness of their identity and biases, and how that affects their work with students of color. Thank you
@DOEChancellor
for your commitment to diverse leadership & bold action for racial justice
LOL
What percent of the 98% grad rate knows what electoral college means?
Ok, if I said this about black people, they would call me racist and try to fire me based on making students uncomfortable. "I'd like to invite anyone who's interested into some context around the White Supremacy Culture Framework and how it's helped me as a white person deepen my commitment to antiracism and equity in schools."
From channel 2 news.
David Bloomfield, an education professor at Brooklyn College and the CUNY Grad Center, said Carranza shouldn’t just dismiss the allegations.
“The chancellor’s job is to be the CEO of his organization,” Bloomfield said. “He has to take all of these complaints very seriously. It’s now a matter of public interest and public scandal and he needs to reassure the public that merit is the only basis for appointment.”
Ms. Watson, I say, PROVE IT. I say they don't know basic math and basic English while graduating.
Cheryl Watson-Harris
@CWATSONHARRIS
10h10 hours ago
More Cheryl Watson-Harris Retweeted David Hay
Our students are so brilliant! Thank you to #ourchancellor for always valuing their voice and giving them a seat at the table! @DOEChancellor
The douchebag who is running the implicit bias training for administrators actually said something along the lines of "if you are white you need to be uncomfortable in your whiteness". Just imagine if he said "If you are black you need to be uncomfortable in your blackness". The bullshit goes on forever!
I am writing to express my disapproval for equity training and other so-called "social improvement" concepts which are poorly conceived and accomplish nothing. This training assumes that people like me need to be rehabilitated
I am sick and tired of this. I am a white woman who grew up poor and worked my ass off each grade in school to get a full scholarship to a top college, where I continued to work hard, and now I am a teacher in NYC schools who works works tirelessly each day. I have had zero privilege that I haven't earned through the sweat of my brow and I humbly EARNED what I have accomplished. I am a not racist or biased. I don't need to be trained to feel empathy for people who struggle: I have tasted struggle acutely and I too have experienced biases for things other than the color of my skin as well as for the color of my skin...and did I mention that I am caucasian?
How about the "equity" exercises today where were asked to go into the schoolyard and reveal answers to very personal questions such as: did your parents loose their job when you were a child. Step backward if you went to bed hungry, were you ashamed of your car...what business is it of the department of education to ask me to reveal the answers to such personal questions to my peers? It was embarrassing and for many people brought up past traumas, no doubt. Are we entering into the realm of a therapy?
Why doesn't the union speak up about this?
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