Last week, Amanda Blaine called on Vashon schools to support the thriving of “every single child” and I fully agree (“Addressing universal racial equity problem in schools requires engagement, honesty,” May 10). That sentiment ought to be a core value for everyone involved in our island schools. However, her apparent conclusion that achievement gaps between students of differing ethnic groups is damning evidence of institutional racism ignores the possibility of other causes such as cultural differences, family income differences, the prevalence of single parent households or other potential influences on student achievement.

In short, correlation does not equal causation, and different educational outcomes do not necessarily equate to racial injustice. If that was the case, the superior educational achievements of Asian American students versus their white counterparts would reflect another example of invidious institutional racism. Ironically, the same issue of The Beachcomber in which her editorial appeared focused attention on the tragic racism that resulted in the forcible detention of Vashon’s Japanese American citizenry during WWII. As that history suggests, yesterday’s racism would seem to be an incomplete explanation for today’s differing educational outcomes. If Ms. Blaine wants to persuade us that racism is an ongoing problem in our island schools today, she will need more evidence than the historical record of racial injustice or differences in student educational outcomes.

— Ronald Weston