Ted Horrell, Germantown High School Principal, Apologizes For Presentation On Race, Test Scores

A Tennessee high school principal has issued a letter of apology to parents and students for saying the school's black students are "less smart," as evidenced by a state report card issued this month, WREG reports.

"I unintentionally offended a number of students on this campus," Germantown High School Principal Ted Horrell wrote in the letter. "I apologize to all the students and parents who were offended."

During a school presentation last week, Horrell reportedly laid out the results of the Germantown High's Tennessee state report card, which breaks down standardized test scores by race and income. The assembly aimed to discuss how the school can close the achievement gap and introduce a new program that would offer assistance to struggling students, WMC-TV

But a number of parents and students were offended by the presentation, arguing that it only created a greater divide among students as some students found it reason to start mocking black students for "being dumb," according to WMC-TV.

"[My daughter] felt he presented this information to basically reflect the African American students were all the reason the scores were down," Germantown High parent Deborah Cannon told WREG.

Germantown's report card reflect a national trend. Results released last fall showed that consistently large gaps in the performance of white, black and Hispanic students remained on the 2011 national math and reading exams. On the National Assessment of Educational Progress, administered every two years, 9 percent of white students performed at or above the highest level in 4th grade math, compared with only 2 percent of Hispanic students and 1 percent of black students.

Schools in areas like Chicago still struggle to gain ground in math and reading proficiency to close the performance divide between black and white, Latino and Asian students.

Horrell said that while at the Germantown High assembly, he did note certain groups of students are performing better than others, he "certainly didn't say that white students are smarter than black students," WHBQ reports.

One student publicly came to Horrell's defense, writing in an email to WREG that "information is valuable," and that the principal merely sought to share data with those being evaluated.

"As a student there, I do want to know how we are performing when it comes to standardized tests," the student wrote. "I think (based upon the reactions in the audience at the meeting) that once people were made aware of the data, they made judgments and did not fully listen to Dr. Horrell. The changes Dr. Horrell is making to GHS is to better the students."

Comments

[realitycheck101a]

04:34 PM on 01/19/2012

I hope that people can connect the dots: children from higher-income families have more access to technology allowing them to do better in school. Children from lower-income families have less access to technology, and fare worse in school. People are too unaware of how this "app-gap" also affects the high school dropout rates of minorities. Lower-income usually means Black and Latino. It's a no-brainer that kids from low-income backgrounds have more obstacles to doing well in school. But I see far too many comments on many articles, that try to attribute it to race. It's something that people NEED to be more aware of....

[Nature Rules ALL]

05:53 PM on 01/19/2012

How do you know that technology causes better academic performance? Technology may be a part of it and it may also be less beneficial if children use technology to socialize on twitter or facebook, play games, or search the internet for noneducational, meaningless, or misleading information for hours rather than doing something productive, like homework. So you can't draw a correlation between technology and academic performance unless there is significant research studies that support this notion. Technology can be useful if properly applied, especially in the classroom.

Bigger issues tend to include lack of parental support (some parents work two jobs, are single, abuse their kids, or simply give up on their kids), gang activity, peer influence, lack of government funding for resources, lack of intrinsic motivation, etc. There are more issues at hand in low SES environments than just technology. As you said, many "obstacles" are involved and in these poor neighborhoods they are deterring intellectual and personal growth.

[realitycheck101a]

04:30 PM on 01/19/2012

Kids Spend More Time With Screens Than Books (important info)


***If you get past the headline of the report, there is, however, a fact that is a different kind of troubling. It's about what the researchers call the "app gap" -- the reality that this preponderance of screens is a privileged problem. While nearly half (47 percent) of upper-income parents have downloaded new media for their children, only 14 percent of lower-income parents have done so. Lower-income children watch more television which is a relatively passive medium; upper-income children play more with interactive apps.

That fact changes the lens, doesn't it? The same technology that, a moment ago, we were discussing as a threat to a child's development, now looks like a benefit. Or, at least, a luxury. (True, luxuries and benefits are hardly the same.)
Which is it then? Or maybe, as with everything else about parenting, it all depends on specifics of family dynamics that can't ever be captured in a single study? ***

What is your child's media diet? What are your worries?


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lisa-belkin/kids-spend-more-time-with_b_1030268.html?icid=maing-grid7%7Cmain5%7Cdl7%7Csec3_lnk2%7C107509

[realitycheck101a]

03:41 PM on 01/19/2012

Wow, over 4,300 comments??? People really don't get the connection between the socioeconomic status of African Americans and the low test scores. Anyone with two braincells knows that children don't do as well in school when dealing with poverty and it's conditions...

"The study also found that black children “were about seven times more likely than white children to experience long-term residence in the most disadvantaged 20 percent of neighborhoods in the country."

(Children Living In Low-Income Neighborhoods Less Likely To Graduate High School: Study)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/04/children-low-income-neighborhoods-high-school_n_994580.html

[shawn2323]

02:10 PM on 01/19/2012

on welfare
White 38.8% whites=77.­1% of the population in 2009
Black 39.8 blacks=12.­9% of the population in 2009
Hispanic 15.7
Asian 2.4
other 3.3

that means 60% of the black population is on welfare whites are at 4

[melaninroyalty]

09:43 PM on 01/19/2012

ok jason!

[newersurf]

03:07 AM on 01/19/2012

Seriously, how is that African space program coming along???

[mlaiuppa]

10:36 PM on 01/18/2012

In a few years, NCLB testing will "prove" we're all "less smart".

Mostly for voting those yahoos into Congress in the first place.

[B Hanson]

06:13 PM on 01/18/2012

Sometimes the truth is uncomfortable. That is still no reason to deny it or avoid it.

[ninja95]

04:28 PM on 01/18/2012

wow.... i am a junior at germantown high and i just want to say that this whole situation was blown way out of proportion. There were no "near riots" at school, and if there were some, there weren't any large ones that people heard about. Sure there were some people who thought Dr. Horrell could have phrased it better, but I saw no one overly offended or being made fun of what so ever. We didn't even think about the matter again until we heard it on the news a few days later. This whole situation was definitely made into a bigger deal then it actually was.

[pat511]

12:38 PM on 01/18/2012

"Germantown High School serves grades 9-12 in the Shelby County School District. It is among the few public high schools in Tennessee to receive a distinguished GreatSchools Rating of 8 out of 10." Website if interested in reading reviews of the school:
http://www.greatschools.org/school/parentReviews.page?id=1344&state=TN

[GlennWatson]

12:22 PM on 01/18/2012

The purpose of this announcement is to spread the truth and motivate the black kids to work harder. Why should he not have said this. He said the truth.

By the way. HP is becoming too heavy handed in preventing posts.

[SeptimusDSX]

07:32 AM on 01/18/2012

I think it is a good idea to start by seriously addressing the important question of whether education is necessary to lead a good life. We assume it is necessary but can you explain it to the kids on why it is necessary? These tests, metrics and other stuff is irrelevant in a student's eyes if he/she does not know why we do these things?

I don't know how things are done elsewhere, but when I make an attempt to make my students understand a)What do they gain by sitting in my class? b)Why is it even remotely relevant to their academic objective or life.

I don't claim to be successful in conveying my message, but it is certainly worth the time if you can get through to just one student.

[J R M]

12:47 AM on 01/18/2012

This isn't about race. It is about cultural attitudes to education. The Seattle school district has found that the children of Somali immigrants, many still learning English, do better overall than native-born African Americans.

I have observed in my daughter's high school in the Seattle suburbs that the children of educated immigrants are greatly over-represented in the honors / IB programs and math/science Olympiads. The popular culture in the US is destructive of education and self discipline. Parents have to fight the popular culture to get their children to focus upon their educations.

I knew from the time my kids were born that I would have to buffer them from the popular culture. No TV, a focus upon reading, a limited video / movie time, etc. And yes, my kids are outsiders. But my daughter will be off to college (pursuing Engineering) next year, having just turned 15. With luck, her brother will do the same at age 16. Running start is a great bargain - but students have to work hard to take advantage of it.

[acumenguy]

09:27 PM on 01/17/2012

I'm a black educator. So there.
Now to hurt some more feelings.
-If the numbers show it, don't get mad at the messenger.
-If the black students and parents don't like hearing this kind of information being put forth, darn it (in place of another word)do better on the test!!
-You parents getting mad at the principal are either: enabling and excusing your child for not putting forth the effort to meet the performance standards, (study your behind off) Or, you have accepted the fact that by nature of your race your children are genetically predisposed to not being able to, how shall we say, “cut-the-mustard.” (You-know-us-po-colored-folks-cain’t-be-doin-all-dat-readin-stuff)
Enjoy your 2nd class citizenship.
I’m glad I’m not stuck teaching your lame a** kids.

[jstanavgguy]

08:27 AM on 01/18/2012

Very well said.

My wife was a teacher in public schools for 15 years, and the thing that bothered her the most was not kids that did not seem to care, but the parents. She grew up in the projects, and used education to get out of them. And seeing parents that just did not care at all was the worst. It was as if the parents did not want to see their children succeed.

[pat511]

08:41 AM on 01/18/2012

Thank you for your post. I am impressed w/ your in depth understanding and acceptance of the problem. How unfortunate that you can't impress what so many realize is the situation in so many black homes. Why do you think the attitude you've outlined is so prevalent?

[harriettubman]

08:58 PM on 01/17/2012

This man, who is supposed to be principal over an entire student body of ethnicities, has no remorse. He said how he truly feels. These are the kind of people being put in jobs over our children but won't take the time to find out the reason why. I've been in some of these schools and not every teacher is great at what they do and not every parent is involved.

If I were an educator I'd be calling home to someone's parent wondering why they aren't involved and trying to find out why he's not learning. Give any child, regardless of color, an involved adult and you will see success!!!!!

[pat511]

09:09 PM on 01/17/2012

And how - exactly - would you propose getting lazy assed, uneducated parents "involved?" They don't give a flip....they just wanna make sure the kid(s) gets free meals @ school so they can use their day to get their nails done or purchase yet another high end cell phone. Don't make me draw you a picture: this parental indifference IS the problem!

[melaninroyalty]

10:47 PM on 01/17/2012

pubicpat, 59% of welfare recipients are white! 70% of free lunch recipients are white. I am willing to bet your just like Sara Palin, you got some of that BIG CHOCOLATE hard Dick Cheney shot that guy in the head on a hunting trip.Can you believe that? Then you were probably ditched now you hate those Beautiful People of color. However, it is a love hate thing. Because you still have those DREAMS don't cha?

[melaninroyalty]

10:59 PM on 01/17/2012

Pubicpat, did you know that the first person to ever receive WELFARE (FOOD STAMPS)was a white woman named Mabel Mcfiggin in 1939? Pubicpat, did you know that until the year 1885 white people received 74% of all welfare distributed by the federal government? And do you know, now, that the people who will be affected the most if there was an order to end welfare will be........DRUM ROLL CRACKER barrel serves some good biscuits....WHITE! You better start worrying about the poor people that look like you more than the hate you have for.....wait for it....PRESIDENT OOOOOOOBBBBBBAAAAAMMMMMAAAA!
Use that 2002 dell computer to google that. O'yeah, you spell google like it sounds, GOOGLE! Stay out of the SUN!

[GlennWatson]

12:25 PM on 01/18/2012

And when you called you would get a disconnected number most of the time.

[yappypup]

06:13 PM on 01/17/2012

Tonna: "The Europeans played the different clans or ethnic groups against each other ("divide and conquer")"
.................................

No. You can't coerce the willing. The simple but uncomfortable facts are they were complicit in their own fate. (Complicity: n. partnership in a crime or wrongdoing). In jurisprudence, it's known as "unclean hands".

Documented history shows that they were more than willing to participate and profit in slavery, so therefore I reject your revisionist version. Who do you think brought the slaves from the interior of Africa to the coastal ports to be sold? Clue: It wasn't the Europeans.

And lastly, what excuse do you come up with for slavery in Africa today? The same practice--that of raiding rival tribes and enslaving the captured?

[hvsmrspct]

08:03 PM on 01/17/2012

Your response seems to have missed the point completely. What is more, I think you have displayed a typical American response here. Africa is made up of several regions ( North, east, west, black, subsaharan, the horn, south, etc.), many of which overlap. In these regions you find many, many states - as Africa is not monolithic nation but the name of the continent upon which many states are formed...like North America or South America. Then there is the further breakdown of tribes and clans that inhabit the states. So when you say statements such as "they were complacent in their own fate" it is a falicy in your argument, especially when you the attempt to conclude by saying, "raiding rival tribes and enslaving the captured". In fact, between these two statements there is an attempt to mix the truth of difference with the claim of sameness.

The argument still holds, is valid and historically correct that various europian forces worked with some tribes, enticing and rewarding them to produce slaves from other tribes they were enemies to. There were also many tribes and people who fought against the europians, their African allies and recorded their struggles, the records remain to this day. So were there Africans peoples who helps the europians? Yes. Does this mean that this in someway absolves the guilt of American slave owners of their injustice? Common sense demands a negative response.

[yappypup]

09:44 PM on 01/17/2012

There were no fallacies in my statement. My chief point was that it wasn't necessary for Europeans to foment dissent to procure slaves, because slave systems created by the African natives--no matter who they were or where they were located--had long been in existence, and were being profitably exploited to supply the Atlantic slave trade. The Europeans merely profited from a system that was already in place. Ipso facto, this paints a very different picture from the popular scenario depicting Europeans storming into Africa and creating slaves en masse out of the inhabitants. They were already enslaved---by other Africans. Did Europeans manipulate the system? Yes, they did; however, that fact must be taken and weighed together with the "unclean hands" (see previous post) of the African participants, who most assuredly profited greatly from slavery.