Share
To the Editor:
TED succeeds where the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs fail because it targets specific individual opportunities to equalize and not ill-defined outcome “inequities” between collective groupings. TED achieves Equality not by disadvantaging other groups but by honoring our American tradition of merit, effort, grit and equal individual opportunity. Equal opportunity programs can improve on their degree of equality but equal outcome programs cannot.
DEI programming began in government, spread to corporate America and has now reached our schools. The reality is that equity and inclusion operates in conflict with our constitution.
Equity in education means extra resources for the learning or physically disabled and special needs students to promote equitable outcomes, based on specific individual clinical needs. But now, they have been extended based on race, gender or identity orientation.
Inclusion has an innocent enough dictionary definition but through these programs, it requires a compulsory acceptance of things infringing on others constitutional liberties.
There is a better alternative that teaches to all students equally, using a portfolio of the most effective human characteristics. These common qualities have been referred to as traits, attributes, effective habits, virtues or moral principles. Stephen Covey referred to them as effective human habits that all can possess and develop. Religionists call them principles of conduct or behavior. Intellectuals call them moral or Noble human virtues. Whatever you call them, they exist within every student and as a watermark criteria attainable and achievable by every human being. Developing these shared habits or common principles, one has the best chance at an effective and independent life, a primary goal of education.
TED recognizes that intellectual Tolerance, Equality and Diversity of thought must happen before any positive physical changes and it does this without creating collective groupings of outcome disparities or infringing on the individual rights of others. TED teaches to whole individuals using universal principles shared throughout humanity to expand individual equal opportunities. Time to reevaluate DEI programming.
Bob Chester
Somers, CT
Chester is a candidate for Board of Education