If you wanted to increase achievement of students...

Would you cut out science labs and 5 science faculty members?

I ran across an article about a high school that has a plan to bridge the gap between achievement levels amongst different races. The white students have scores above the state average, and the Latino and African American students have averages below.

The solution: cut science lab classes and 5 science teachers.

Jigga what?

They want to take the funds they will save by shutting down these classes and put it toward helping the Latino and African American students.

As someone who likes science, and even majored in it in college I am pretty dumbfounded. I admit the majority of my upper level science classes in high school were white, but I grew up in small town Kansas and the classes were 5-10 students in general.

The article even stated that one of the senior science faculty members had 17.5% African American and 13.9% Latino students in her AP class. For anyone that doesn't know the lingo, AP classes (or advanced placement classes) are high school classes you take then you take standardized tests for college credit.

I know, lets take the minority students that are doing well, and make sure they can't get college credit. At least the rest of their peers will be closer to the state averages for achievement. I think that is how it works. Dumb down the ones that are ahead.

The worst part is that this plan was made by a committee of students, teachers and parents and it was almost unanimous in passing. They think they are doing a service by decreasing the 'racial' differences in their students, but it sure seems like a stupid way to do it.