Though states can choose which categories they measure, many have found it easier to use the five groups recognized by the Department of Education. That is what Illinois is doing by eliminating "other."
The federal government, meanwhile, has been taking steps to expand the racial and ethnic categories it recognizes. In 1997, the Office of Management and Budget directed all federal agencies to use revised guidelines that would give more choices. For example, citizens filling out 2000 census forms were allowed to mark multiple racial or ethnic categories.
The deadline for agencies to comply with the new guidelines was January 2003, but the Department of Education was given an extension until fall 2004. Education Department officials say the No Child Left Behind Act has taken much of their energy, delaying the implementation of guidelines.
The difficulty is how to expand the racial categories so they more closely match the changing demographics of the U.S. without creating too much of a statistical burden or diluting the impact of the law.
"The more categories you have the more potential kids will not meet the number needed in categories to be reported," said Brian Jones, general counsel for the Department of Education.
A racial group at any particular school must have a certain number of students--40 in Illinois--for its results to be evaluated under No Child Left Behind. Allowing an "other" category would take kids away from other racial/ethnic groups--possibly to the point where the groups would be too small to count.
The crux of the problem, according to Jones, is the mixed-race quandary. He said the department wants to take into account more permutations, such as black-white students and Latino-white students.
"It probably is the first time we are looking at this issue to this extent," Jones said. "The struggle has been to find the appropriate number [of races and ethnicities] that ought to be counted."
Jones said the government is hoping to create "a place for those kids so [they] don't have to be half right." Educational authorities are considering 11 or 12 racial and ethnic categories, though Jones would not provide details.
Even the people most affected by the discussion often disagree. Some consider it demeaning or too broad to put people in a category labeled "other." Some say the term "biracial" is too narrow and implies a black-white mix.
Others say that insisting on a nuanced racial identity is a moot point because society will make its own judgments. Tracey Wallace of Evanston said he is raising his sons as African-American. He is black and his wife, Michelle, is white.
Wallace uses Tiger Woods as an example. Although Woods has a varied racial and ethnic heritage, to much of the world he is black.
"I want my kids to grow up with the realization that they are going to be labeled African-American no matter what," said Wallace. "Even if they check ... multiracial, they are going to be identified as African-American."
| Go back for the rest of Ana Beatriz Cholo's Chicago Tribune article "School rules change forces racial choice"
posted in articles on January 11, 2004 10:57 PM | t (0)
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