By: Diane Benjamin
More on this story: https://blnnews.com/2021/11/26/unit-5s-equity-audit-waste/
As reported, the Urbana School District has and Equity Task Force. That group recommended hiring Systemic Educational Equity LLC. The two people pushing for that hire were Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Ivory-Tatum and their very first director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The Urbana DEI director is none other than Unit 5’s ex Assistant principal at Normal West: Dr. Brandon Caffey. https://usd116.org/director-of-dei/ He was hired in August 2021.
I’ve written about him before: https://blnnews.com/2021/01/23/normal-west-what-ive-been-told/
Once the Task Force made their recommendation the debate started.
Dr. Caffey has not moved to Urbana. During the November School Board meeting, he attended via Zoom. Public Comment brought up Dr. Dubiel, Caffey responded. Dr. Dubiel also appears.
Since Urbana removed hiring Dubiel’s company for an “Equity Audit”, they have a list of other firms to choose from. Unfortunately, they are all of the same ilk. DEI doesn’t address the real problems because they are harder to fix: income disparities, lack of family support, low quality curriculum and instructional material/methods, community issues, etc.
Real “Equity” doesn’t need a study. If kids unable to read and write graduate, the school failed them.
Just hit play to hear Dr. Caffey:
Good point Diane.
The elephant in the room is RESULTS. What results does an expensive, multiyear program like this promise? If not promise, what can be expected? Dubiel says these programs have been around for as long as 15 years so there must be some quantified results, right? Apparently not.
Look at minute 56:50 for her answer to this question. Her answer is basically that it can be as successful as the team wants it to be. Classic Scapegoating. She doesn’t even define the metric “success”. Grades? Interpersonal relationships? Reduction in discipline? Graduation rates? Success in College? She gives no success “data” from her program or any other similar program.
Coming from a business world if I told my boss I wanted to spend $40K+ on an improvement program, his/her first question would be – What’s the payback? “Unknown” would get me laughed out of the office, maybe even a job.
Actually, encouraged a little by the Urbana district. Even though they still think that the way to end racism is to making all the white kids feel bad about themselves.
‘I Don’t Have to Make White Kids Feel Bad for Being White’: Condoleezza Rice
DEI and Dr Caffey and friendz are an integral part of what makes Illinois , well , Illinois