Florida to Measure Students by Race

Florida, 10/15/12

               According to a Fox News article, Florida put a new policy in place that will set student goals in math and reading by their race. According to the article, "By 2018, Florida’s Department of Education wants 90 percent of its Asian students to be reading at or above grade level, compared to 88 percent of white students, 81 percent of Hispanic pupils and 74 percent of African-American children. In math, state educational officials want that figure to be 92 percent for Asian students, or 18 percent higher than that of African-American students and 11 percent higher than their American Indian counterparts."
              This policy was approved in October but Florida Department of Education officials were unavailable for comment today. This policy is absolutely awful. Obviously everyone wants kids to raise their grades in math and reading but separating them by race is not the way to do it. This probably makes the African American kids feel bad about themselves because they are automatically expected to be able to de less than all of the other kids. The department of education in Florida could have made this system a lot better if they rephrased it and didn't come out and give the percentages the way they did.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/10/15/florida-ill-advised-plan-to-measure-students-by-race-riles-education-experts/#ixzz29P7KfMM3