Quote:
Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd
Mayor DeBlasio wants to scrap admission testing for elite high schools.
He points out that there is a majority of Asian and white kids attending these schools and he wants to apply a type of affirmative action to increase the rolls for minority kids.
https://nypost.com/2018/06/02/de-bla...-high-schools/
“The Specialized High School Admissions Test isn’t just flawed — it’s a roadblock to justice, progress and academic excellence,”
Call me old fashioned but I still believe that if a kid studies his/her butt off they deserve to get into an elite school. Why should a kid that hasn't worked as hard be admitted just because of their skin colour?
It certainly does not seem fair to the kids that have worked hard.
We are talking about elite schools that cater to smart intelligent kids. By introducing kids that may not be as smart wouldn't they be facing struggles in the classroom to keep up OR will the schools be forced to dumb down the classes for everyone can get an "A" ?
If someone does not test well enough to get into the school then they shouldn't get in.
Deblasio is a nut.
What is next? Will pro sports teams like in the NBA that are dominated by black players be forced to lower their standards to accept white and Asian people?
Dumbing down the schools and lowering the standards is not the way to achieve excellence for the future. |
As a Native American engineer, I have observed the fact that affirmative action in this form does not help minorities. The "quota" system or "lowering of standards" means that a student will be placed in a group where he or she is at a lower standard deviation of test scores compared to the rest of the class. This means the student will most likely (1) burn out and leave or (2) stay and get poor grades or (3) get good grades but with a ridiculous amount of study hours. The outcomes (1) and (2) are most common. The outcome (3) does happen but is rare and unnecessarily stressful - it usually is done with sacrifice of a social life.
Affirmative action in this form has its roots in President Nixon who was virulently racist. He created the policy as a form of social control to appease the black middle class and prevent riots in the turbulent era of the 1960s. It was classic "old school" bigotry formalized into a policy ostensibly meant to help minorities.
Ironically, many modern minorities and Democrats vehemently defend the flawed policy. But I know the truth. I have seen it happen many times in STEM programs as a minority engineer.
So, what is the solution? Just outlaw affirmative action like in Florida. I lived in Florida for over a decade and noticed that affirmative action was outlawed. I never heard a minority complain. This is because graduation rates went up for minorities. The total number of minorities on campus at FSU or UF was reduced. But their graduation rates were much higher than the 1990s. If a minority did get low test scores and was rejected, then he or she could just go to a community college and transfer as juniors if successful. This pattern is huge in Florida - admit minorities if they are prepared with test scores compatible with the rest of the class. If not, then they can go to a community college first and adapt gradually to harder courses so that as juniors they may transfer. And many do.
By contrast, affirmative action was a ridiculous point of conflict in Colorado. At the CU Law School or Medical School it is a very hot topic and causing huge uproar among white students. The minorities admitted usually have to face a stigma and resentment. Some were admitted with lower standards and face burnout, dropout, etc. Other minorities actually did get compatible test scores (e.g. high MCAT) but are stigmatized as unworthy of admission. The policy is flawed.
But at least affirmative action was outlawed in Florida. Over there, it is a relic of the 1990s like "Saved by the Bell", the "land line", Nintendo 64, Marky Mark, etc. The end of affirmative action in Florida actually led to higher graduation rates for minorities who were admitted without the policy. They were admitted on merit only and usually held up well with the rest of the class.
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