Teachers union apologizes for error on Web site

http://www.app.com/app2001/story/0,21133,680475,00.html ^ | 2-1-2003 | SAMUEL P. NITZE

[Cagey]

When the New Jersey Education Association posted a brochure, "Getting Involved in Your Child's School," on its Web site about a year ago, it offered three versions, named "A parent's resource," a "Spanish version" and the "African-American version."

The NJEA, the state's largest teachers union, has removed that last heading, apologizing for an embarrassing lapse in judgment after questions were raised about the purpose of offering one version for African-Americans, another for other English speakers.

[Cagey]

This will not be an issue because of the incredible double standard that exists in our country. No heads will roll because the NJEA is on the "left" side.

[KMCC]

Too often of late, I find that it's necessary to "talk down" to teachers in order to be understood.

[Sam Cree]

The whole thing sounds a lot like the old "separate but equal" philosophy which, of course, was never really equal.

Not very surprising that the Left has returned to segregation and racial preferences.

[StriperSniper]

Boortz did a great job on this one too. I think him picking it up is what really got the ball rolling.

(P.S. - I'm heading out on the Big Mohawk tomorow, I hear the tog are coming up from only about 75'.)

[boris]

"Before anything was posted on the site, a brochure was created, in some haste, in time for the 2001 school year, Baker said."

Dis article do seem a bit late to me, bro.

[StriperSniper]

Boortz has links to a cashed version, and how they changed it:

Nealz Nuze Jan 23

[FITZ]

"Today, teachers want to use new methods and materials to give each child personal guidance. When you assist teachers, you give them more time to work with children. You allow them to be more effective teachers."

The African-American version sounds just like Hillary when she's talking to a crowd.

[AppyPappy]

Ok Boris, all black people talk like that. And all Southerners sound like Goober too.

[Principled]

Sounds like you need to send your kids elsewhere.

[Skooz]

As it turned out, the African-American version was shorter and used clearer language.

Oh my.

PPPPPpppphhhhhhhhhhhttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt......

[Paul_B]

> "Someone erroneously labeled it 'African-American version,' and it should never have been labeled as such," he said. "When we realized what the perception was, we immediately took it off. There was never an idea that we somehow needed a second version for African-American parents."

Right. They made a simpler version, then when it came time to name it, among possibilities such as "dumbed-down", "simple", and "uneducated", the concept "African-American version" just appeared out of thin air, and was immediately adopted.

No, this is a natural consequence of the liberal babying of the African American commmunity as perpetual victims who are unable to lift themselves up. Only this time they went too far and exposed themselves.

Sad to think these benighted ones are so influential on our children.

[rface]

interesting story.... I wish I could find a "copy" of this old web page.

[j_tull]

The only English-language version now on the site is the one that was called African-American, Baker said.

Hold muh Thesaurus and watch this....

[Cagey]

I wish I could find a "copy" of this old web page.

See post #7.

[Cagey]

I think you may have been the one who posted a story about this some time ago.

[Conservateacher]

It truley is geting diffikult to admit that I are a teecher.

Embarrassing! There really are some very good people in the profession. However, the good teachers are too busy doing their job or raising their families to get involved in the union bs. I also find most teachers to be politically oblivious.
As an agency fee payer I don't offically belong to the union. It is very difficult to recruit others to take my stance, even staunchly, conservative teachers. They want to be "team players".

[justrepublican]

They want to be "team players".

More accurately "have to be a team players".

[Coleus]

Thanks for the ping cagey.

http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:EAcPpF8m0JcC:www.njea.org/FamilyCircle/default.asp

http://members.aol.com/educationintel/

http://216.239.39.100/search?q=cache:DiDSmzh-fV4C:www.njea.org/FamilyCircle/default.asp

http://www.eiaonline.com

1) New Jersey Education Association Accuses OpinionJournal of "Smear Campaign" Over Brochure Controversy. The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) lashed back at an OpinionJournal story entitled "The Soft Bigotry of the Teachers Union," calling it "a lie"
that was "designed to slander NJEA." Last Tuesday, OpinionJournal's Best of the Web Today, a daily electronic newsletter of the Wall Street Journal, discovered a page on NJEA's web site that featured a brochure called "Getting Involved in Your Child's School." Though NJEA has since changed the page, the original page and brochures are still available for viewing (at least for today) on Google's cache at:
http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:EAcPpF8m0JcC:www.njea.org/FamilyCircle/default.asp
The page offered three versions of the brochure. One was labeled "a parent's resource," the second was labeled "Spanish version," and the third was labeled "African-American version." Individually, the three brochures merely offer parents tips on volunteering at school, interacting with teachers, and creating am environment at home conducive to learning. The controversy arose when the "parent's resource" version was compared to the "African-American version." (The Spanish version was essentially a verbatim translation of the African-American version.)
Here are a few of the differences:

* Parent's resource version - "By working in your school, you will become more familiar with its programs, and you will see why they are vital to your child."

African-American version - "By working in your school, you will see how it works."

* Parent's resource version - "To Whom Will I Be Responsible?"

African-American version - "How Will I Work with the Teacher?"

* Parent's resource version - "Emphasize academics. Too many families get caught up in athletics and in preparing their children for the world of work, where academics should be their first concern."

African-American version - "Tell your child that studying is important."

* Parent's resource version - "Families should make it their responsibility to teach children basic discipline at home, rather than leave this task to teachers."

African-American version - This tip was omitted.

Best of the Web Today noted its own preference for the African-American version, because it was shorter and more concise. "But another way of looking at it," the story read, "is that the New Jersey teachers union seems to think their material has to be dumbed down for the benefit of black parents."

EIA asked NJEA for a response. The union replied that "It is a lie that NJEA has 'dumbed down' a brochure for anyone at any time. This story is an attack designed to slander NJEA. It is a smear campaign based on one falsehood after another." The union says the "African-American version" was actually meant as a replacement for the "parent's resource" version, which it considered too wordy.

NJEA's statement also noted that "When we received a call from a reporter, we realized the error on our web page and immediately corrected it." Asked by EIA to clarify what error it believed it had made, NJEA responded that the African-American version "should never have been labeled that way" and should never have been posted alongside the earlier version. According to NJEA, the page with the three versions sat as it was for over a year without anyone noticing the problem. Separate NJEA spokespersons called the web page "a woeful error" and "a mistake."

EIA asked its New Jersey readers for their reaction to the story. Some are NJEA members and some are not. Here are a few of their replies:

* "Until government (including education) becomes color-blind, none of the rest of us will."

* "The height of hypocrisy. If they truly believed that parental involvement is crucial to a child's education they ought to allow school choice."

* "I am stunned at the patronizing. The process that yielded the result remains a mystery."

* "Pretty insulting. If I were an African-American member, I would be very upset."

http://www.northjersey.com/page.php?qstr=eXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXkyJmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2MzMxMzMw