It is “not about me,” says Congressman Cooper as he pleads with House redistricting committee to keep his seat safe from a Republican challenger.

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Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn was featured by the New York Times

by Rod Williams - Tennessee Department of Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn was featured by

Penny Schwinn

the New York Times in a lengthy feature titled, "How Will America Recover from a Broken School Year?" She is one of six experts who discuss the consequences of missed learning. Below are some excerpts from this article.

How Have Kids Fared? ...

Penny Schwinn: It’s really difficult. It’s also no one’s fault. Educators did herculean things through the year, and still students’ scores went down and achievement went down. In our state, among all our economically disadvantaged students, third through eighth grade, one in seven is on grade level in language arts and one in 10 is on grade level in math. Among the biggest drops we saw occurred in districts that also had the longest periods of remote instruction in the last school year. This has no doubt exacerbated achievement gaps that have existed in our state for years. For example, I’ve got only 3 percent of low-income students in Memphis who can do math on grade level in eighth grade. ...

Should Schools Test Kids Academically? ...

Schwinn: In Tennessee, the Legislature came back and did a special session to ensure that student testing would take place. The bill promised no negative consequences for any district, school or teacher as long as 80 percent of students took the assessment. We knew how important it was to have the cold, hard facts, and we knew that families really wanted to know how their kids were doing academically after a pandemic school year. Now that student scores are available, we’ve had more parents logging into our online family portal than we expected — all to find out how their child’s scores compare to their previous scores. 

Unless we have this good data that shows how our students are doing, we can’t make informed decisions to ensure those students receive the additional support they need. And candidly, the business community is very important here. When they see the testing data, and they understand what it indicates for their future work force, they’ve pushed on the academic front and for the support that enable academic success — in opinion columns and conversations with legislators, for example.

Read the full article at this link.  The above highlighting is mine. 

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Nashville school board pledges to fight white supremacy culture, homophobia, and ethnocentrism, and all other forms of prejudice and discrimination amid critical race theory ban

by Rod Williams - In May the General Assembly passed a law banning the teaching of Critical Race theory in Tennessee schools and the Metro Nashville School Board has passed a resolution to defy, or sort of defy, the State. The State legislature did not call CRT by name but banned the teaching of certain tenets of CRT.

The Metro School Board postured as if this is a ban on fighting White supremacy. 

Critical Race Theory is an academic discipline developed in the 90's based on identity Marxism. Traditional Marxism is based on dialectic materialism pitting workers against capitalists. Reform and rising standards of living and the failure of Communism, the gulags, the show trails, and the fall of the Soviet Union led to the failure of traditional Marxism to gain any meaningful foothold in America.  Americans never developed any real class consciousness.

Marxists however did not give up their goal of radically transforming society and advanced newer interpretations of Marxism that substitutes race for class. For a long time advances in civil rights and racial equality resulted in CRT failing to gain adherents.  Marxist however did not give up and for about the last decade the Marxist CRT has been gaining more adherents. Playing on White guilt, adherents of CRT found many "useful idiots," and CRT found its way into institutions and public education.

There are many definitions of CRT, but this one from Britannica summarizes it nicely. 

... intellectual movement and loosely organized framework of legal analysis based on the premise that race is not a natural, biologically grounded feature of physically distinct subgroups of human beings but a socially constructed (culturally invented) category that is used to oppress and exploit people of colour. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist insofar as they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.

With this dogma, equality is not a desirable outcome but  "equity" is the goal.  America is an irredeemably racist society the theory teaches.  Even to deny one is a racist is a proof that one is a racist. All White people are racist and people should not be judged by any objective standards but only race.  Any difference in outcomes of one group from another from homeownership rates to college graduation rates to incarceration rates to attainment of wealth to death from disease or violence is the result of systemic racism.  The cure is a great leveling.  Equal opportunity is not what is desirable but equal outcomes.  This requires abolishing private property and any system that rewards merit.

The theory has entered the mainstream with corporations and institutions and governments instituting indoctrination sessions to enlighten people on the racist attitudes they hold and to raise the consciousness of the oppressors and the oppressed. Recently the theory has worked its way into public education instruction.

In response to the worming of its way into public education, the State of Tennessee banned the teaching of the tenets of CRT. This is the relevant portion of the law that bans the teaching of the tenets of critical race theory:

(a) An LEA or public charter school shall not include or promote the following concepts as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or allow teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include or promote the following concepts:

(1) One (1) race or sex is inherently superior to another race or sex; - 13 - 008140

(2) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, is inherently privileged, racist, sexist, or oppressive, whether consciously or subconsciously; 

(3) An individual should be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of the individual's race or sex; 

(4) An individual's moral character is determined by the individual's race or sex 

 (5) An individual, by virtue of the individual's race or sex, bears responsibility for actions committed in the past by other members of the same race or sex; 

(6) An individual should feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or another form of psychological distress solely because of the individual's race or sex; 

(7) A meritocracy is inherently racist or sexist, or designed by a particular race or sex to oppress members of another race or sex; 

(8) This state or the United States is fundamentally or irredeemably racist or sexist; 

(9) Promoting or advocating the violent overthrow of the United States government; 

(10) Promoting division between, or resentment of, a race, sex, religion, creed, nonviolent political affiliation, social class, or class of people; or 

(11) Ascribing character traits, values, moral or ethical codes, privileges, or beliefs to a race or sex, or to an individual because of the individual's race or sex.

The law not only bans these concepts from being taught but goes to pains to make sure the law is not misunderstood by saying what is not banned: 

b) Notwithstanding subsection (a), this section does not prohibit an LEA or public charter school from including, as part of a course of instruction or in a curriculum or instructional program, or from allowing teachers or other employees of the LEA or public charter school to use supplemental instructional materials that include

(1) The history of an ethnic group, as described in textbooks and instructional materials adopted in accordance with part 22 of this chapter; 

(2) The impartial discussion of controversial aspects of history; 

(3) The impartial instruction on the historical oppression of a particular group of people based on race, ethnicity, class, nationality, religion, or geographic region; or 

(4) Historical documents relevant to subdivisions (b)(1) - (3) that are permitted under § 49-6-1011. 

Why the Metro School Board took such strong exception to this law is beyond me but they did. The Metro School Board has pushed back against the state by passing a resolution pledging to fight white supremacy, homophobia, and ethnocentrism.  Here is the way the press is reporting the issue:

Nashville school board pledges to fight racism, white privilege amid critical race theory ban

by Meghan Mangrum, The Tennessean - Despite Tennessee's new ban on teaching topics related to critical race theory, Nashville's school board has pledged to help eradicate institutional racism and white supremacy culture. 

Eight members of the Metro Nashville Board of Education unanimously adopted a resolution Tuesday in support of "a multicultural education" for the district's more than 80,000 students. 

"The Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education will advocate for research and implementation of social and educational strategies that foster the eradication of institutional racism and white privilege perpetuated by white supremacy culture," the resolution reads. "[And will] furthermore, stand behind teachers who teach the Tennessee Academic Standards in a factual manner that represents the truth of this country’s history." (read more)

MNPS Pushes Back Against Critical Race Theory Law With Resolution 

by  KELSEY BEYELER, Nashville Scene, AUG 25, 2021 -  The Metro Nashville Public School board at Tuesday's meeting presented a resolution that pushes back against a recent law regarding what has come to be known as critical race theory. 

Through critical race theory itself is a concept most commonly taught in law school and very rarely in K-12 public schools, the state legislature passed the law in May, limiting what teachers can and cannot teach regarding topics like race and sex. 

The law itself is vague, and until more specific guidance from education commissioner Penny Schwinn came out earlier this month, teachers didn’t know how it might affect in-classroom instruction. Both parents and teachers have repeatedly addressed the matter with the school board. While some have supported the law, most do not. 

Teachers have asked the school board for protection, and the Metropolitan Nashville Educators Association — the teacher’s union — specifically asked for the resolution. (read more)

Below is the full text of what the school board passed:

FULL TEXT OF RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY MNPS SCHOOL BOARD 8/24/21 A RESOLUTION REGARDING MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION 

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Board of Education believes a multicultural education should promote the recognition of individual and group differences and similarities in order to reduce racism, homophobia, ethnocentrism, and all other forms of prejudice and discrimination and to facilitate the development of self-esteem as well as respect for others among all students; and 

WHEREAS, more than 70% of Metro Nashville Public Schools’ students are students of color, and the overall student population represents 139 countries of origin; and  

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Board of Education believes that educational materials and activities should accurately portray the influences and contributions of ethnic and other minorities, women, and world religions; and  

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Board of Education believes that academic freedom, which includes the rights of teachers and learners to explore and discuss divergent points of view, is essential to the teaching profession; and  

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Board of Education recognizes that the Tennessee State Social Studies standards require providing students with opportunities to explore current events by drawing connections between the past and modern day, develop and defend their opinions, and analyze multiple points of view; and  

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Board of Education believes that, in order to achieve racial and social justice, educators must acknowledge the root causes of institutional racism, structural racism, and white privilege; and  

WHEREAS, the Metro Nashville Public Schools Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion exists to address issues of racism, homophobia, ethnocentrism, and all other forms of prejudice and discrimination within Metro Nashville Public Schools; and  

WHEREAS, all students deserve to see accurate representations of themselves in their education, and learning about the contributions, successes, and challenges of non-white people is critical to long-term educational development and understanding.  

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE BOARD OF EDUCATION will; advocate for research and implementation of social and educational strategies that foster the eradication of institutional racism and white privilege perpetuated by white supremacy culture.  

FURTHERMORE, stand behind its adoption of curricular materials that adhere to the Tennessee Academic Standards;  

FURTHERMORE, stand behind teachers who teach the Tennessee Academic Standards in a factual manner that represents the truth of this country’s history;  

FURTHERMORE, support and defend teachers’ use of materials that incorporate diverse, accurate viewpoints that are representative of the student body in their classrooms;  

FURTHERMORE, ensure that individual teachers who teach the Tennessee Academic Standards are not punished for teaching accurate information.  

ADOPTED BY THE ELECTED METROPOLITAN NASHVILLE BOARD OF EDUCATION, on the 24th of August, 2021, with this Resolution to take immediate effect, the public welfare requiring it.

My take on this is that Metro has not said exactly that they will defy the state and teach CRT despite the ban. This looks like some virtue signaling to the woke and some grandstanding.  It does tell me however that parents need to watch Metro Schools like a hawk.  I expect some teachers to try to push the envelope and get as close as they can to teaching CRT without crossing that line or cross the line and hope it is not noticed.  If a teacher does cross the line, Metro Schools and the teachers union will defend the teacher.

One thing I take away from this is that we need more sensible less woke people serving on the School Board.  Another is that parents need to know what is being taught in their child's school.  Teachers can not be trusted to follow the law and Metro Schools cannot be trusted to ensure they do.  I think it is time to have cameras in every classroom. 

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The Federalist Society, Supreme Court Review. Friday September 24th

Ilya Shapiro

The Nashville chapter of the Federalist Society presents, "Supreme Court Review: Obscene Snapchats, Gay Adoptions, and Paid College Athletes" with Ilya Shapiro, Vice President and Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute.

Event Details

Date: Friday, September 24, 2021. Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT

Location: Hilton Nashville - Downtown 121 4th Ave S Nashville, TN 37201 

CLE credit will be available. 

Paid parking is available on site and free parking is available in the surrounding area.  

RSVP and tickets.

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Nashville man peacefully protesting at the Capitol during the mostly peaceful riot caught on camera smoking in a non-smoking area.

 

Nashvillian Christopher Michael Cunningham was identified as one of those inside the capitol during the mostly peaceful Jan 6th protest at the Capitol. He is charged with entering a restricted building or grounds without lawful authority to do so, "with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of Government business or official functions."  Looking at this photo it looks like he is smoking.  The news reports do not report that he is also charged with smoking in a non-smoking area. (link)

I think the attack on the Capitol was despicable. However, it was no more despicable than the hundreds of BLM riots across the country last summer.  Many BLM rioters were never arrested.  Many who were had their charges dropped or got very light sentences. I think those non-violent protestors who entered the Capitol should be punished comparable to the punishment we handed out to BLM protestors who committed similar offenses.  It looks like Cunningham was just somewhere where he was not supposed to be.  The charges should be dropped. 

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Wilson County Conservative Republicans Sept. 25th

 

 

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Majority of Tennesseans believe public education is on the wrong track, new poll finds

" ...student performance plunged after a year of school closures and disruptions. Only 29% of Tennessee students tested on grade-level in English language arts last spring, and even less — 25% — are on grade-level in math. ...the pessimism crosses partisan lines. ... Nearly 62% of respondents believe the public education system is failing to prepare young people for employment and adult life, with 59% of registered Republicans lacking faith in the system compared to 60% of Democrats." To read this Tennessean story, follow this link.

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No more drinking on party buses? Someone is having fun! We must stop them!

Metro is intent on killing the goose that is laying the golden eggs. It seems Metro government is determined to destroy the Nashville entertainment industry.  I also really believe there are some people who are not happy if someone somewhere is having fun.  I agree with the comment of my friend Mark Rogers. To read the reverenced article follow this link. 

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Metro Council passes indoor mask requirement resolution

 It is a resolution, not an ordinance.  It request Metro Health to mandate a mask requirement for indoor public spaces for both vaccinated and unvaccinated people. An ordinance that would also require the same thing is working its way through the Council. The sponsor of both the resolution and the ordinance is Council member Joy Styles.

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