School Board President Targets ‘White Parents’ in Presentation

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—An Illinois school board president gave a presentation at a “White Privilege Conference” and accused “white parents” of creating controversy against racial progress, documents obtained Parents Advocate for Education And Shared with The Daily Signal.

Pat Savage-Williams, school board president for Evanston Township High School District 202 in a northern suburb of Chicago, gives a presentation called “Our Journey to Equity – Evanston Township High School” at the White Privilege Conference on April 14, 2023, in Mesa, Arizona.

Parents Advocate for Education A copy of the presentation was found following an application made under the Freedom of Information Act.

Many people don’t welcome racial change, Savage-Williams said in her presentation, because “proposals for structural and policy change that seek to dismantle things that have been in place for decades are often not met with universal approval.” That can divide a society, she said, because “there is a significant debate around racial equity work.”

“This debate is almost exclusively white parents, educators“Politicians and other community stakeholders, many of whom have never personally participated in racial equity training, present another significant challenge,” Savage-Williams said in her presentation. “While it is important to continue to engage with them as community members, use thoughtful and careful responses and strategies.”

In addition to his duties as chairman of the board of directors, Savage-Williams studies as a director of diversity, equity and inclusion at a district high school, according to her employee profile. wage In the 2022-2023 academic year, it was $149,478.

The school should break down data on student performance as follows: basis of race In her presentation, Savage-Williams says we need to target “inequality.”

“Identify areas of inequity in student achievement and participation, disaggregating data by race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, disability, and English language proficiency,” the administrator and board member says. “Develop statistical metrics to assess equity in these areas.”

According to Savage-Williams, “Equality is a processequality is the product.”

Students should not be taught that skin color is a defining characteristic, Nicole Neily, president and founder of Parents Defending Education, told The Daily Signal.

“For too long, Evanston Township High School has prioritized equity over student proficiency and subject mastery, and it has been to the detriment of the youth the district aims to serve,” Neily said. “With this continued management style, students are unlikely to learn how to collaborate and thrive in the fast-paced, multicultural environments that future jobs may require.”

Savage-Williams introduced the school district’s “Social Awareness Series” program, which includes “special events open to the Evanston community that challenge participants to think critically about their racist experiences and how they relate to systemic oppression rooted in anti-Blackness.”

The program also includes professional development classes for staff that “center conversations on the historical presence of race and racism in education” and student summits that align with the theme of “Year of Black Men.”

Student summits are divided by identity groups, with programs geared toward black, Asian, and Middle Eastern students. LGBTQ and “Latinx” studentsSpeakers at the school district events included critical race theory luminaries such as Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of “Between the World and Me,” Ibram X. Kendi, author of “How to Be An Anti-Racist,” and Robin DiAngelo, author of “White Fragility.”

The presentation notes that the school district has a team of 25 teachers dedicated to developing lesson plans that “use research-based, culturally relevant pedagogical standards to engage students of color.” It’s called the Collaborative Action Research for Equity, or CARE, Team.

Evanston Township high schools also have a group called Students Organizing Against Racism (SOAR), which the presentation describes as “a place where students can talk to each other about race using protocols.”

“There are several ongoing conversations/walkthroughs where students engage in challenging discussions discussing their racialized experiences at school and in the larger Evanston community,” the presentation said.

The presentation notes that the district also “continues to examine and improve grading practices” and “increases student awareness of racial equity.”

Savage-Williams’ presentation addresses the district’s history of addressing “white privilege.” She says the school district has formed a group to “explore” “critical race theory” In 2008. In June 2009, the district held a “Beyond Diversity” seminar. This seminar is “a nationally recognized seminar aimed at helping administrators, teachers, students and parents identify, define and examine the powerful intersection of race and schooling.” The presentation notes that “100% of the staff has gone through Beyond Diversity.”

The Evanston Township High School District did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment on the presentation.