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Principal Black Less Smart

January 17, 2012 by · Comments Off on Principal Black Less Smart 

Principal Black Less SmartPrincipal Black Less Smart, A high school principal has sent out a letter apologising to parents and students for saying the school’s black students are ‘less smart’ according to a state report card issued this month, WREG reports.

Ted Horrell, the principal at Germantown High School in Tennessee, gave out the results of the school’s state report card, which breaks down standardized test scores by race and income.

The aim of the assembly was to talk about how the school could close the achievement gap and introduce a new programme to help struggling students. the Huffington Post reports.

Instead it led to an outcry with those offended by the presentation questioning why Mr Horrell felt he needed to do it.

They argued it only created a greater divide with black students mocked for ‘being dumb.’

It prompted Mr Horrell to write: ‘I unintentionally offended a number of students on this campus.

‘I apologize to all the students and parents who were offended.’

Mr Horrell said that during assembly, he merely noted that certain groups of students are performing better than others.

‘I certainly didn’t say that white students are smarter than black students,’ he added.

But Germantown High parent Deborah Cannon was one of those who were offended.

She told WREG: ‘My daughter felt he presented this information to basically reflect the African-American students were all the reason the scores were down.’

One student, however, jumped to Mr Horrell’s defence. The unnamed student wrote in an email to WREG that ‘information is valuable,’ and that the principal just wanted to share the facts.

The student wrote: ‘As a student there, I do want to know how we are performing when it comes to standardized tests.

‘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.’

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