Anger over Cal High pep talks for black, Latino students

Contra Costa Times ^ | 5/5/6 | Eric Louie

[SmithL]

Pre-test pep talks that singled out black and Latino students at California High School have angered some parents and resulted in apologies from the principal.

The talks were not given to students of any other ethnic backgrounds and prompted a visit to the school from San Ramon Mayor H. Abram Wilson who was alerted by calls from parents.

"I feel that the entire school should have been encouraged to do well on the test," with no groups singled out, said Wilson, who is black. "The city is a very unique city. We look at everyone being the same, period."

Principal Mark Corti said the idea was born last month when a Latina teacher asked if she could meet with Latino students and encourage them to do well on the state-mandated standardized tests.

Corti asked two black teachers if they wanted to do the same, and they did. Corti said 65 black and 165 Latino students took part.

On April 19, the day before testing, ninth to 11th grade Latino and black students were given letters in class and asked to meet in separate locations during regular school hours. Corti said students were picked based on the race they marked in school records.

Corti, who sat through half of each meeting, said California High's black and Latino student scores have risen in recent years. The meetings, he said, were meant to encourage keeping it up, "much like a coach would talk to your team before a game. It was all motivational."

But it is now an action Corti regrets.

"No matter what the intent was, this is a very sensitive issue," he said. Corti has since made contact with the parents of each child invited to those meetings to apologize and invite them to talk with him about their concerns. He would not say how many took him up on the offer.

Cal High has about 2,500 students, most of whom are white. The second biggest group is Asian.

Corti said there was no mention at the meetings that blacks and Latinos generally score lower than other ethnic groups, and that pressures for each group to perform did not factor in to calling the meetings.

The tests are used in both the state's Academic Performance Index and federal No Child Left Behind accountability measures, which both have requirements for achievement by students of individual races.

"The state testing program in general is extremely focused on narrowing the achievement gap," said San Ramon Valley district spokesman Terry Koehne. Administrators at the district level knew there would be some motivational event for blacks and Latinos, but not the details. Koehne said those involved will not face any disciplinary action, but acknowledged a different approach should have been taken.

The high-performing district's 2005 API base, which scores schools from 200 to 1,000 with 800 being the target, is 883. Black students' average score was 787 and Latinos' 817. At California High, there were not enough blacks to be given a group score; Latinos, at 765, must improve by one point on the next rankings.

On the federal requirements, blacks and Latinos districtwide met both test participation and achievement requirements, according to the 2005 Accountability Progress Report. Those groups were not large enough at Cal High to be measured for that requirement.

One parent whose daughter attended one of the meetings told the Times she was concerned students were being labeled as underachievers because of their race.

But attitudes from those who attended the meetings varied.

Tenth grader Victor Herrera attended the Latino meeting and took from it that doing well on the tests would lead to more success in life. He said being with others of the same background made it more comfortable. Another student called it "empowering."

"I think it's a good thing," Herrera said.

But tenth grader Jesse Rivera didn't like it. Rivera, a B student who is part white, said it would have been better to encourage all the low-achieving students, regardless of their race.

"I feel that it was demeaning," said Rivera. He said during the meeting he was told to try harder, and he wonders whether administrators meant Latinos do not try hard enough.

[SmithL]

You cannot ever, ever be politically correct enough.

[L98Fiero]

The new face of racism. I don't even have to go into what would have happened had those been white teachers.

[Michael.SF.]

There's Black and Latino's LIVING in San Ramon?

[SR 50]

This is like preaching to the choir to include those that can successfully pass test. Sometimes when you single people out you get their attention.

[ishabibble]

Remember the 7 yr. old racist poet? Only Tots of Color were allowed to stand for her reading. The white children were instructed to remain seated. If you can stomach it, reading her little poem will be the ultimate in a hate speech experience. Those NEA idiots actually seem to believe that she wrote it herself. Her single dad, an avowed "white hater" had nothing to do with it.

The minority jihad is not even trying to appear PC any longer.
Hannity had a black author on his show last night. First name is Shelby, and he wrote a book called, "White Guilt".
I called my local library, Commie Central, this a.m. and they put my name on the waiting list. Without realizing that the book seems to be the antithesis of Loonie Leftie Thinking, they have it on order. They must think it is an easy primer on more things to feel bad about!