Daniel Lennington and Cory Brewer
Should public schools treat students differently based on race? Of course not—it’s against the law—but the Biden Administration muddied the waters late last month with a “Fact Sheet” on Title VI, which is the federal law that prohibits race discrimination in public schools. Although broadly supportive of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts in the past, this is the first time the administration has mounted an explicit legal defense of racial-equity efforts.
The fact sheet pays lip service to federal nondiscrimination law but encourages public schools to employ DEI training, “cultural competency training,” and all methods to address “racial disparities within a school.” This initiative represents the administration’s response to state-level efforts to ban DEI training, curriculum, and other policies, which unfortunately have become commonplace.
The administration’s view of racial equity is that all racial groups should enjoy precisely the same outcomes in all areas ranging from test scores to discipline. Equity is demanded because, according to President Biden, any disparity among racial groups is simply evidence of “systemic racism and white supremacy.” As Vice President Harris has famously said, equity means “we all end up at the same place.”
The unfortunate reality is that in our public school classrooms, so called “equity” policies are causing blatant race discrimination every day.