Excuse Me?? What's wrong with this?
"The proposed changes, to be implemented by 2009, would allow students to first identify themselves as either Hispanic/Latino or not. Only non-Hispanics would then check as many as five races that are applicable. Pacific Islanders would shift into a new category, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, separating them from Asians.
How the racial-ethnic breakdown is reported to the department would change in one way. Educational institutions would total how many non-Hispanics checked more than one box and put them into a new category, “Two or more races.”
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_6434.shtml
So, I'm very glad they are trying to address multi-racial reporting, and also doing what they can to get everyone to actually identify with what ethnicity and/or race they are for more accurate reporting overall, but I see two MAJOR faults with this.
1. All mixed-race students who select more than one race are actually going to LOSE more of their identity by doing so, because the races they choose aren't going to be reported at all. Don't go just half-way with this! I'm sorry, but it being to much of a burden to actually pay attention to the races people check off is not good enough, at least not for me.
2. Why is it only non-hispanics that will go on to choose from the race options?? The US Census (as well a number of government orgs) ask people to identify themselves by both ethnicity AND race, not one or the other. If you can be African American and Native American, why can't you be Hispanic and Native American? Sorry to all of you school-goers out there who thought you were both Latina and Black apparently, you are mistaken!
Maybe they'll adjust this new system before it goes into effect in 2009. One can only hope. If it's going to be that way, I'd almost rather it stay the way it is...
How the racial-ethnic breakdown is reported to the department would change in one way. Educational institutions would total how many non-Hispanics checked more than one box and put them into a new category, “Two or more races.”
http://diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_6434.shtml
So, I'm very glad they are trying to address multi-racial reporting, and also doing what they can to get everyone to actually identify with what ethnicity and/or race they are for more accurate reporting overall, but I see two MAJOR faults with this.
1. All mixed-race students who select more than one race are actually going to LOSE more of their identity by doing so, because the races they choose aren't going to be reported at all. Don't go just half-way with this! I'm sorry, but it being to much of a burden to actually pay attention to the races people check off is not good enough, at least not for me.
2. Why is it only non-hispanics that will go on to choose from the race options?? The US Census (as well a number of government orgs) ask people to identify themselves by both ethnicity AND race, not one or the other. If you can be African American and Native American, why can't you be Hispanic and Native American? Sorry to all of you school-goers out there who thought you were both Latina and Black apparently, you are mistaken!
Maybe they'll adjust this new system before it goes into effect in 2009. One can only hope. If it's going to be that way, I'd almost rather it stay the way it is...