A recent article in City Journal described an “equity-themed” conference that trained teachers in how the “whitewashed district curriculum” is harmful and encouraged teachers to “challenge the dominant ideology.” Unfortunately, many teachers translated this to mean challenging parent values and ideologies in the home.

Ironically, teachers are not being encouraged to question the power structures they work within. Sure, there are disagreements and frustrations about the curriculum choices. But let’s not forget to consider “the power structure.” Who wields the money? How is power being used? Here’s a quote from an article we wrote this summer. Click the link below to follow through to the whole story:

“I wanted to know more about my local context (Wake County). Am I supporting systemic racism with my tax dollars here in Raleigh, North Carolina? In the Wake County Public School System, white students are 2.9 times more likely to be allowed to enroll in AP classes than Black students. Black students are 5.6 times more likely to be suspended than white students!  And Black students trail about three academic grades behind white students. 

In response to these outcomes, I know many will defend the school system by arguing that at least part of the differential outcomes between Black and white students is due to factors outside of the school system - such as family structure or growing up in concentrated poverty. And I recognize that there is some truth to this argument. After all, our mission is to address the connection between schools and neighborhood poverty. But, almost everyone agrees that at least some of the achievement gap and the unequal discipline rates are systemic. So, it should be no surprise that Black parents are suspicious of a system that produces such large racial differences.

Of course, the modern definition of white supremacy that we are working with is about more than these symptoms - discipline and achievement gaps. It’s also about who exercises power and control over the money in the system. So, what does the power structure in the Wake County School System look like...

https://www.effective-ed.org/greenapples/whitesupremacy?rq=wake%20county