Sue Lani Madsen: Immutable characteristics that matter

School board elections are usually sleepy events with one or two candidates, and in some districts they still are. But virtual school in 2020 put parents physically in the classroom as partners in learning and inspired some to get involved at a systemic level. This year has drawn an unusually high number of competitive races, with parents driven to action by debates over divisive curriculum and dissatisfaction with decisions delaying school re-opening.

Central Valley, East Valley and Cheney each have at least one race with three candidates vying to make it into the top two. Spokane Public Schools has 16 candidates filed for two positions.

Diversity, equity and inclusion policy statements have drawn public debate. “Diversity” is a word frequently used as a progressive dog-whistle for a calculated check-the-box approach to race and sex. When a focus on those immutable characteristics intersects with the oppressor-oppressed lens of Critical Race Theory, it is inarguably divisive. If it wasn’t divisive, there wouldn’t be letters to the editor highlighting candidates’ opposition to or support of CRT-based curriculum.

School board policy-making requires board members who reflect the substantive differences in religious faith, education, socioeconomic status, ethnic culture, national origin, language, occupational history and all of the other life experiences which shape philosophical and political beliefs. Voters have critical decisions to make in this year’s August 3 primary.

Of the immutable physical characteristics each of us develops in the womb, the most critical for education are neurodiversity and, to a lesser extent, physical ability. Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act, we no longer have children, parents or teachers physically shut out of classrooms by narrow doors and inconvenient stairs.

We’re doing less well serving children who are differently abled when it comes to learning styles and abilities. A single teaching model for all children regardless of neurodiversity fails to see students as individuals. Are they succeeding at learning or do they experience the classroom as a place of failure? Are their needs and behaviors affecting the learning of other children?

We recognize students with special needs and immutable limits on learning deserve an appropriate and individual education, to be coached toward as much independence as possible. So do all students. Good teachers know they face classrooms where students will not learn at the same pace or in the same way, where attention span and ability to focus will vary across a spectrum. They will adjust their classroom teaching to accommodate different learning styles as much as they can whether in a static classroom setting, online or a hybrid. Teachers need school board members who are focused on supporting their teachers and providing a diversity of learning options for parents and students.

Virtual school exposed parents to the challenges individual students and their teachers faced. Some children with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) thrived in online school where they could focus. Others melted down in the face of yet one more online session and limited connection with their peers. Inequities in education and a growing youth mental health crisis led Gov. Inslee to sign an emergency proclamation in March 2021 “prohibiting all public K-12 schools in Washington from failing to provide opportunities in both remote instruction and on-campus, in-person instruction.”

School boards which kept schools closed faced frustrated parents and teachers who saw the damage being done.

The inequities of 2020 between children with parental support and those without will affect a generation, without school board leadership valuing the only long-lasting source of equity – a strong basic education.

You may have seen the classic diversity-equity-inclusion training graphic of three kids standing on boxes outside a fence. One is tall and doesn’t need his box, one is short and needs a second box, and one has just enough boxes. The “right” answer is for an outside force to take a box away from the tall child and give it to the short one.

A better answer is to teach how to make boxes, for the short, tall or in the middle. In a school district where every child starts out with different resources and different needs, the boxes would be labeled “reading, writing and arithmetic.” Reading fluently is fundamental to lifetime equity and ability to make choices, including choices as a voter.

School boards and the administrators they hire set the tone. Look for candidates who value each child as a unique individual and not a racial category. Candidates who inclusively respect all voices and take concerns about CRT-based curriculum seriously. Who prioritize the basics, seeking long-lasting equity by focusing on high literacy rates. Who bring diverse perspectives and experience to the role.

After the 2020-2021 school year, parents aren’t standing down – and that’s a good thing.

Contact Sue Lani Madsen at rulingpen@gmail.com.