Letter: Vote for school board candidates who support EDI
To the Editor-
As April 5 nears, and we find ourselves prepared to cast ballots in one of the most contentious School Board elections I’ve ever witnessed, I find myself thinking back on my years as a student attending public school. I find myself thinking about not what I learned, but about whom I learned.
Who were the visionaries, the explorers, the conquerors, the inventors, the entrepreneurs, the leaders? What did successful, important, influential people look like? They were white, and they were almost always men. Yes, we learned about Betsy Ross, Marie Curie, and Harriet Tubman. But by and large, it was white men who created the world in which we live. It was white men to whom we owe our gratitude for the creation of this great nation.
People of color, on the other hand, were almost always portrayed as victims, slaves, savages; rarely were they presented as leaders, business owners, or champions. Successful, influential gay, lesbian, or transgender people were rarely discussed. And except for Hellen Keller, I don’t recall there being much of an emphasis on the success stories of people with disabilities.
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion. Three seemingly benign words. Three ideals we should strive for, right? Equity. Don’t we want fairness and impartiality? Diversity. Do people truly not understand the benefits of having different perspectives, different backgrounds? Inclusion. Do we not encourage our children to include others? Yet these three words, or the ideas behind them, seem to be stirring up a lot of hostility amongst some members of our community. Some are actively working against EDI.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) isn’t about making others feel inferior. And EDI isn’t Critical Race Theory. EDI is about representation. When students see their identities reflected in their teachers or learning materials, they have a better chance of success.
According to a 2020 study published in Child Development, the journal of the Society for Research in Child Development, “African American youth who received positive messages from educators and school personnel about their racial group had better grades up to one to two years later.”
https://www.srcd.org/research/
A 2019 study found that LGBTQ secondary students were at higher risk for bullying, chronic sadness, and thoughts of suicide, as well as poorer learning engagement and academic performance, compared to their straight and non-transgender peers. LGBTQ students also reported receiving substantially less social and developmental support from teachers. But the study’s analysis suggests that if LGBTQ students experienced the same levels of support and safety at school as non-transgender and straight students, disparities would disappear or greatly diminish.
https://www.wested.org/
Representation matters. When children see themselves represented positively, they have better outcomes. And when students have a window into the world of others’ experiences, they are better able to navigate the world around them. These are our measurable outcomes, and they’re important ones.
Student success must include a focus on our most vulnerable students. That doesn’t mean less for other students. Inclusion doesn’t equal exclusion. Ensuring vulnerable kids succeed doesn’t mean others must fail, it means an increased chance of success for everyone. Does this come with a cost? It does. Can we afford to support our most vulnerable kids? The way I see it, we can’t afford not to.
When we focus solely on the price tag, we fail to recognize the value. I see the value in EDI, as do Jeff Ebel, Rob Manzke, Barb Portzen, and Dennis Raabe. And that’s why they’ll have my vote on April 5th.