Latest news with #CareyGoldberg
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
A Massachusetts School District Rolled Back Advanced Classes. Teachers Are Starting To Revolt.
In 2021, a school district in Newton, Massachusetts, got rid of advanced classes in a bid to increase racial equity. But instead of reducing achievement gaps between racial groups, teachers are now sounding the alarm that the strategy is resulting in classrooms that serve neither struggling students nor high achievers. According to a Boston Globe article by reporter Carey Goldberg, several parents brought up similar concerns with the new policy—but say they were smeared as "racists" and "right-wingers." Goldberg writes that, in 2022, a group of three moms—all Democrats—started a petition to create a parental advisory panel for the school district. The move was motivated by what one parent described as "ideology superseding student needs," following the school district's decision to place students in "multilevel classes." In these new classes, rather than sorting students by ability, students would learn together in the same classroom. The school also decided to stop allowing advanced math students to skip a year to access higher-level classes. The parents also shared concerns that the school's approach to race and identity issues "emphasized differences rather than commonalities." The women say they were branded as far-right conservatives motivated by racial animus rather than a genuine concern for academic opportunities. According to Goldberg, Parent Teacher Organization newsletters urged parents to speak out against the petition at a public meeting. An email from local activist group Families Organizing for Racial Justice said that the petition was "tied to the apparent belief that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts that take race into account compromise academic excellence" and claimed that some petitioners "challenge the need for any activities related to micro-aggressions, inclusion, respect or belonging." "The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups. Social media comments painted their side as 'racism cloaked as academic excellence' and 'right-wing activism cloaked as parental concern,'" Goldberg wrote. At one meeting, a speaker compared those who supported the petition to "white women who helped perpetuate segregation and white supremacy." But years later, the Newton mothers are being vindicated. Teachers themselves are now openly criticizing multilevel classes, arguing that it isn't serving students' needs. "Our surveys of the staff showed that 61 percent of the 31 respondents in STEM classes believed that multilevel classes were 'not at all beneficial' for students (the lowest rating) and only one respondent answered on the 'beneficial' end of the rating scale," Newton teacher Ryan Normandin wrote in a Boston Globe opinion article in December. "Classes may appear more diverse with all students mixed in one room, but no data have been presented to suggest these classes are actually helping Black, Latino, or low-income students." "I've heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative," School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar said in November "I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class." According to Goldberg, the district is now working on reinstating leveled classes. "We were really, truly three innocent moms just trying to get conversations going," one of the moms originally involved in the petition told Goldberg. The three used to joke that if they had indeed been funded by right-wing groups, "maybe we would have done a better job." The post A Massachusetts School District Rolled Back Advanced Classes. Teachers Are Starting To Revolt. appeared first on
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Parents were condemned for questioning DEI initiatives at schools, now officials agree policies went too far
A group of moms in one Massachusetts public school district were condemned for questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's (DEI) influence on local education, but now the district itself is changing course. Carey Goldberg, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, wrote an extensive opinion piece about how a trio of mothers in the tony Boston suburb braved public backlash to warn against far-left school policy changes. The three moms, all of whom were Democratic Party voters, began to question Newton public school district policies in 2022. "At first we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one was in school during COVID," Vanessa Calagna, one of the trio, told The Globe writer. "It was like we were trying to put a puzzle together. And then we were trying to ring the alarm." Those changes, Goldberg wrote, "involved a heightened emphasis on racial equity and antiracism, including a district commitment to 'dismantle structures rooted in racism' and seek 'more equitable outcomes for all students.'" Boston University Professor Calls Layoffs At Ibram X. Kendi's Antiracism Center 'Employment Violence' One of the most controversial initiatives was combining students into "multilevel" classes, where, "Rather than students being divided into separate classes by level, students at varying levels would learn together — even in math, science, and languages." Read On The Fox News App The purported goal was to "break the persistent pattern that white and Asian students predominated in 'honors' classes while Black and Hispanic students tended to be clustered in less-challenging 'college-prep' classes." "[The mothers] wanted to know whether the multilevel classes and other new policies — such as denying advanced math students the chance to skip ahead a year — hurt students academically," the author summarized. "They also worried that the schools' newer approaches to race and other identities emphasized differences rather than commonalities. And that equity was being defined as 'equal outcomes' rather than fairness." School Committee member Paul Levy estimated that when he campaigned in 2021, 80% of more than 1,000 parents voiced concerns to him about these issues, but many would not dare speak about them in public for fear of being called "racist." In 2022, the trio of mothers and their allies faced severe backlash after launching a petition to create an advisory panel that would give parents a voice on such academic issues. Conservative Education Activist Running For Congress After Victories Over Dei Programs: 'Speaking To Fairness' "The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups," Goldberg wrote. She added further that "PTO newsletters opposed them, as did the teachers' union and the robust local group Families Organizing for Racial Justice, which claimed in an email that some petitioners 'challenge the need for any activities related to microaggressions, inclusion, respect, or belonging.'" When the three mothers and other parents questioned these new policies, defenders would cite the district's "statement of values and commitment to racial equity," which sought "more equitable outcomes" and "an antiracist future." "And that was untouchable," Calagna told The Globe contributor. "That was the third rail until, all of a sudden, now." Now many Newton teachers are reportedly "openly rebelling" against multilevel classes. "Those teachers report that the classes do not tend to work well for anyone — not for teachers, not for students who need more support, not for those who need more challenges," Goldberg reported. "Many parents concur." "I've heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative," School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar reportedly argued during a meeting in November. "I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class." However, even with both teachers and parents openly calling to remove multilevel classes by next fall, Newton's new superintendent, Anna Nolin, told Goldberg such reforms are a long process. "When [Nolin} took office in mid-2023, she found that the prestigious district lacked basic infrastructure that is standard elsewhere, including systems for curriculum development and student assessments," Goldberg summarized. "Also absent: an agreed-upon system for the district to track the effects of the multilevel classes on student achievement." Work is reportedly underway to create distinct levels, but Nolin warned, "you can't fix the curriculum overnight." The superintendent has also begun efforts to restore parents' trust in the schools, such as by establishing a new Office of Family Engagement so parents "know exactly what we're doing." Nolin observed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, "parent attitudes toward the schools changed, and there was a skepticism about how effective our methods were. For whatever reason, they did not feel heard by the school system, and that is the cocktail that brought us this schism between 'equity' and 'excellence' groups." The superintendent noted that the school's motto "Equity & Excellence," is now seen as "divisive." It will soon be replaced by the phrase, "Where All Children Thrive." Fox News Digital reached out to the school district and did not receive an immediate article source: Parents were condemned for questioning DEI initiatives at schools, now officials agree policies went too far
Fox News
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Parents were condemned for questioning DEI initiatives at schools, now officials agree policies went too far
A group of moms in one Massachusetts public school district were condemned for questioning Diversity, Equity and Inclusion's (DEI) influence on local education, but now the district itself is changing course. Carey Goldberg, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, wrote an extensive opinion piece about how a trio of mothers in the tony Boston suburb braved public backlash to warn against far-left school policy changes. The three moms, all of whom were Democratic Party voters, began to question Newton public school district policies in 2022. "At first we were just trying to understand the drastic changes that took place while no one was in school during COVID," Vanessa Calagna, one of the trio, told The Globe writer. "It was like we were trying to put a puzzle together. And then we were trying to ring the alarm." Those changes, Goldberg wrote, "involved a heightened emphasis on racial equity and antiracism, including a district commitment to 'dismantle structures rooted in racism' and seek 'more equitable outcomes for all students.'" One of the most controversial initiatives was combining students into "multilevel" classes, where, "Rather than students being divided into separate classes by level, students at varying levels would learn together — even in math, science, and languages." The purported goal was to "break the persistent pattern that white and Asian students predominated in 'honors' classes while Black and Hispanic students tended to be clustered in less-challenging 'college-prep' classes." "[The mothers] wanted to know whether the multilevel classes and other new policies — such as denying advanced math students the chance to skip ahead a year — hurt students academically," the author summarized. "They also worried that the schools' newer approaches to race and other identities emphasized differences rather than commonalities. And that equity was being defined as 'equal outcomes' rather than fairness." School Committee member Paul Levy estimated that when he campaigned in 2021, 80% of more than 1,000 parents voiced concerns to him about these issues, but many would not dare speak about them in public for fear of being called "racist." In 2022, the trio of mothers and their allies faced severe backlash after launching a petition to create an advisory panel that would give parents a voice on such academic issues. "The mothers and their allies found themselves portrayed online and in public as dog-whistling bigots doing the bidding of right-wing national groups," Goldberg wrote. She added further that "PTO newsletters opposed them, as did the teachers' union and the robust local group Families Organizing for Racial Justice, which claimed in an email that some petitioners 'challenge the need for any activities related to microaggressions, inclusion, respect, or belonging.'" When the three mothers and other parents questioned these new policies, defenders would cite the district's "statement of values and commitment to racial equity," which sought "more equitable outcomes" and "an antiracist future." "And that was untouchable," Calagna told The Globe contributor. "That was the third rail until, all of a sudden, now." Now many Newton teachers are reportedly "openly rebelling" against multilevel classes. "Those teachers report that the classes do not tend to work well for anyone — not for teachers, not for students who need more support, not for those who need more challenges," Goldberg reported. "Many parents concur." "I've heard about multilevel classes from many, many parents over the last three years, and the feedback has been consistently negative," School Committee member Rajeev Parlikar reportedly argued during a meeting in November. "I actually have not heard from a single parent who thought their child benefited from being in a multilevel class." However, even with both teachers and parents openly calling to remove multilevel classes by next fall, Newton's new superintendent, Anna Nolin, told Goldberg such reforms are a long process. "When [Nolin} took office in mid-2023, she found that the prestigious district lacked basic infrastructure that is standard elsewhere, including systems for curriculum development and student assessments," Goldberg summarized. "Also absent: an agreed-upon system for the district to track the effects of the multilevel classes on student achievement." Work is reportedly underway to create distinct levels, but Nolin warned, "you can't fix the curriculum overnight." The superintendent has also begun efforts to restore parents' trust in the schools, such as by establishing a new Office of Family Engagement so parents "know exactly what we're doing." Nolin observed that after the COVID-19 pandemic, "parent attitudes toward the schools changed, and there was a skepticism about how effective our methods were. For whatever reason, they did not feel heard by the school system, and that is the cocktail that brought us this schism between 'equity' and 'excellence' groups." The superintendent noted that the school's motto "Equity & Excellence," is now seen as "divisive." It will soon be replaced by the phrase, "Where All Children Thrive." Fox News Digital reached out to the school district and did not receive an immediate reply.
