Oregon has been one of the democratic states looking to destroy educational requirements in place of radical left narratives. Rather than putting in the work to bring students up to speed, the state and its teachers want to drop the requirements for everyone. It started with Senate Bill 744.
Gov. Kate Brown recently passed the bill and announced that the state will be getting rid of reading, writing, and math requirements for high school graduation, adding that it will benefit Oregon’s students of color. The governor’s deputy communications director announced that these were based on the allegations of racism and ‘will benefit Oregon’s Black, Latino, Latina, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian, Pacific Islander, Tribal, and students of color.’ While Gov. Brown spent the whole summer avoiding comments on whether or not she supported the legislature, it was signed into law on July 14.
Fox News political analyst Brit Hume was one of the first to point out just how absurd this is. He said Oregon is making the choice for people to be equally ignorant instead of unequally educated. Another reporter pointed out how the requirements reflect a “bigotry of no expectations” for minority children and that radical left leaders want to abolish basic educational standards by saying they promote “racial equity.”
Some were wondering why nobody fought the law when it was signed back on July 14th, but it is simply because most people didn’t know about it. Gov. Brown signed the law but did not hold a signing ceremony or press release on it. The state didn’t even enter the information into the database until July 29th. There can’t be any excuses about a supposed “delay” because several bills were signed on July 19th and entered into the database the exact same day.
It’s concerning that the governor wanted to sign such a prominent bill without trumpeting their success to the public. Why was a bill supposedly “fighting racism” kept so hush-hush? Well, we know it had nothing to do with racism in the first place.
The bill was overwhelmingly supported by Democrats in the legislature and passed over Republican opposition. GOP members criticized the bill as a lowering of academic standards as well as a reduction in academic achievement. It notes that a proficient level of skills in reading, writing, and math led many high schools to create workshops where students have been able to strengthen their skills. Most of those courses were paused or discontinued during the pandemic but will be killed entirely by the legislature.
This all goes back to Critical Race Theory and the teachings of “How to Be An AntiRacist” by Ibram Kendi. Kendi touts that whenever he sees racial disparities, he sees racism and that the use of standardized tests is one of the most effective racist policies of them all. He said they are meant to “degrade” Black minds and legally exclude Black bodies. According to that logic, students of color who don’t meet the state’s standards the same as Whites and Asians are “proof of racism.”
To the radical left, the end result is racism and there are no other economic, educational, or social outcomes to measure regarding the student. It is wrong to claim that all unequal racial outcomes are due to racism or are a product of racist U.S institutions. Unequal racial outcomes exist all across the globe. While schools do what they can to address the learning needs of all students, eliminating proficients tests wouldn’t help teachers determine whether or not a student is proficient in something or needs the extra help. It’s just another damaging decision to the educators who want to help.
