SEGREGATION, DESEGREGATION, RE-SEGREGATION:

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT EQUITY IN OUR SCHOOLS

Session 3 - Seeking Educational Equity: Sill a Necessity

Notes on Session Three

  1. Dr. Dixon, Vice President for Multicultural Affairs, welcomed the group to the third session of the symposium. He asked how many had attended all three sessions and the vast majority acknowledged that they had. After some brief opening remarks, Dr. Dixon thanked the sponsoring groups for their involvement and introduced Dr. Don Creamer, Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.

  2. Dr. Creamer reminded the group that the Educational Policy Institute of Virginia Tech was maintaining a complete record of the symposium on-line and that other types of documents relating to the proceedings would be available shortly. Then, Dr. Creamer introduced the evening's keynote speaker, Dr. E. Wayne Harris, Superintendent of Roanoke City Schools.

    Dr. Harris' presentation was entitled, "Seeking Educational Equity: Skill a Necessity." He suggested that equity is grounded in the expectation of high standards for all. As the discussion continued, he showed, through a series of court cases, that the country is in the middle of a quiet reversal with respect to desegregation and integration. His premise was that we have now come full circle. A new segregation is gaining momentum. A reformatted version of his handout can be found on this web site.

  3. Dr. Dixon thanked Dr. Harris for his remarks and then reintroduced Ms. Marcy Snitchzer, Assistant Director of Service Learning.

  4. Ms. Snitchzer continued with the Case study of Christiansburg Institute and introduced Ms. Elaine Dowe Carter who reflected on the future of the Institute. She reviewed the Institute's new goals and mission. Ms. Carter also discussed plans to preserve the Institute's history.

  5. Dr. Dixon introduced the reactors for the evening. Dr. Jean Crockett, Assistant Professor of Special Education, Mr. Charles Day, Mr. Terry Arbogast, Superintendent of Floyd County Schools, and Dr. Lawrence Cross, Professor of Educational Research made statements and reacted to remarks of previous presenters.

  6. Dr. Crockett and Mr. Day spoke from their prepared remarks.

  7. Mr. Arbogast, Superintendent of Floyd County Schools, discussed the effort needed to truly integrate a school. He suggested that leaders should focus on shaping attitudes of adults in the school setting first. Diversity training and human relations skills should be required for all teachers and staff.

  8. Dr. Cross expressed concern over programs that attempt to raise expectations through the use of standard tests and a single set of educational goals that do not take individual differences into account.

  9. After these presentations, the audience was encouraged to ask questions and make comments. This conversation is summarized in Questions & Thoughts.

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Posted: October 7, 1999
By The Educational Policy Institute of Virginia Tech
URL: http://fbox.vt.edu:10021/chre/elps/EPI/SYMPOSIUM/
sjanosik@vt.edu