Interesting diversity initiative by the NPSD, with meetings that all students' parents should attend: http://www.npenn.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1&ModuleInstanceID=26501&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=28178&PageID=1.

I heard about this on the Joe Madison show this morning (Sirius 126), as the Emmett Till case is back in the news. The NYPD has used the play, "Anne and Emmett" for training officers, as many young recruits say they don't even know who Anne Frank and Emmett Till were. The play does a good job of illustrating the importance of understanding others. ... I know they cover Anne Frank in the NPSD, but I'm not sure about Emmett Till. In any event, the play sounds like it could be a good tool for use with students.

I hear that Pennbrook students are arguing with each other over presidential politics in nasty, nonconstructive ways. Parents, there is some good advice at http://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/parenting/post-election-bullying-is-on-the-rise-heres-what-parents-can-do/ar-AAmzHeo?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout.

Some impressions on the diversity meeting for parents at Pennbrook Middle School last week follow. In sum, it was worthwhile because concerns were aired and solutions suggested. It did have its problems, however. It was repeatedly raised that it was unclear what prompted the school to have the meeting (the first of two, the others set for Feb. 27 and 28, see http://www.npenn.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=1&ModuleInstanceID=26501&ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=28178&PageID=1). Was there a specific issue that needs to be addressed that isn’t being disclosed? Also, poor promotion of the meeting came up. Perhaps forty parents attended. There was one email announcing it, and nothing on the North Penn School District Website calendar. So how important was it supposed to be? Someone pointed out that the distribution of new Chrome Books got letters, and even robo-calls. Represented at the meeting were Muslims, African Americans (and, of course, African Americans who were Muslim), Pakistani-Americans who were also Muslim, people with children who have special needs, and an Hispanic woman who thought more Hispanics would have attended if there had been a translator. But very few, if any, attendees were Chinese-, Korean-, or Indian-Americans, all of which are well represented in the school population. And very few, if any, were white people, except for some who were in mixed marriages or had adopted children of color. It would be nice if everyone thought diversity was important. I know it’s tough, but perhaps more efforts could be made to get people who belong to the missing groups involved. After all, we all have to get along with each other, and listening to each other is an important first step toward that goal.

It appears that the original posting is no longer available above. It was found cached on the Web, and it read: "There are reports from students that teachers and staff, mostly white, pick on non-white students, be they African American or Asian American. Reports say that when there is a commotion within a group, the non-whites are singled out for blame whether they were at fault or not; minor infractions by whites are ignored more often than those of non-whites; and staff is less courteous to non-whites. Is this true? Could it be implicit bias, http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/23/magazine/how-bias-went-from-a-psychological-observation-to-a-political-accusation.html?_r=0?"

I hear there is something that really frustrates students at Pennbrook of Chinese and Korean descent. White teachers and staff constantly mix them up (call them by another Chinese or Korean student's name), long after they've learned the identities of other students. (Chinese and Koreans get lumped together.) Please, see past a couple of common physical traits and get to know the students as individuals and their names.

Some interesting reports on how different races are treated in the schools:http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BLACK_GIRLS_PERCEPTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT and
https://news.iu.edu/stories/2017/05/iub/releases/11-school-discipline-disparities.html.

Why did scores for NPHS go down because of poorer results for students in historically underperforming categories? See https://patch.com/pennsylvania/lansdale/pa-school-performance-profile-how-north-penn-compares?utm_source=article-mostrecent&utm_medium=rss&utm_term=schools&utm_campaign=recirc&utm_content=aol.

I've heard that Pennbrook had an informative assembly a couple of weeks ago on the history of the "n" word, presented by an African American minister. I heard he took on tough questions from students, such as whether "cracker" is an equivalent term, but for white people. Good for Pennbrook and its administration to address these issues!

I've heard that Pennbrook is taking a zero tolerance stand on staffers making racially charged comments to minority students. Good for Pennbrook!

Interesting dialogue in neighboring Lansdale, PA: http://www.thereporteronline.com/general-news/20180513/lansdale-community-takes-stand-against-racism.

This is a good speech about why it is not our anger that is causing our division, but our contempt, https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4853101/arthur-brooks-keynote-speech-2020-national-prayer-breakfast . If you can view this article, Professor Gates explains his arrest that led to the “beer summit” with the arresting officer and President Obama, https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/02/03/magazine/henry-louis-gates-jr-interview.html. Both are instructive on how to get along in our diverse society.