As former teachers and current property taxpayers in Goodyear, Arizona, we have an important stake in the education of our children. We entrust our children to the Litchfield Elementary School District and expect them to be educated in a positive, safe, nurturing, and reaffirming environment. We also expect that teachers will respect the values we teach our children at home and will in no way contradict those values. We want our children to be color blind and treat all classmates equally and fairly without regard to race, culture, or ethnicity. We also expect teachers to treat all students likewise. Like Martin Luther King Jr., who wanted to be judged not by the color of his skin but by his character, we expect the same attitude from our teachers and our children.
We also understand that all students are unique and different, resulting in different outcomes of achievement. Different outcomes can be attributed to many factors—home environment, study habits, teacher proficiency, and innate intelligence being major factors. However, the notion that race plays the major factor in determining outcomes is simplistic and condescending as it covers up the real reasons for any disparities and implies that some races are superior to others. Most studies show that a stable home environment plays a major factor in a student’s academic success.
