Commentary
One of the multitude of problems with our public school systems throughout much of the country is the dumbing down of the curriculum and the failure to hold students to high standards.
Nowhere has that been better exemplified than in what happened recently in the suburbs of Chicago.  A news story by a Chicago-area media outlet called West Cook News recently reported that Oak Park and River Forest High School administrators are considering “an equity-based grading procedure” that would take into account the socio-economic status of the students and even “the skin color or ethnicity of the students.”
The story has gone viral around the country and has stoked national controversy and condemnation. The new grading system was only a proposal, but now, Oak Park school district officials are sprinting as fast as they can away from the idea. Officials are even denying that they ever considered separate standards for “nonwhite” students. That’s a lie. One of the leading advocates for this program is Laurie Fiorenza, the district’s assistant superintendent for student learning. She says equity-based grading is necessary because “current grading procedures perpetuate inequalities” to the disadvantage of minority students….