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Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

newyorker.com

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Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#3
I wonder how de Blasio's proposal would lead to different patterns of where people live in the city - it seems that to play this game (and it sounds like many parents are very motivated to), it makes sense to send your kids to an underperforming school.

Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#4
This is some bullshit. Trying to exert such rigid control over educational outcomes by favoring people based on their race? Talk about unfair discrimination. It’s 2018 (aka $CURRENT_YEAR), haven’t we grown beyond this fruitless social engineering wheel-spinning?

In a sane world, this kind of legislation would be shot down with cogent arguments from smart and knowledgeable lawmakers. The only reason such ill-conceived ideas become law is because our republic is essentially a popularity contest, and people will apparently vote for a politician who, without thinking things through (or indeed thinking at all), will gladly push legislation rife with feel-good buzzwords and catchphrases of the moment. All that matters is getting (re-)elected, fairness and justice be damned.

It’s no wonder these folks are marching. This is naked social control from ideologues. Fight against it!

Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#5
This is an very good example of why 'people of color' is red herring no one believes. Asians, both yellow and brown, are out performing whites. Blacks are under performing everyone and 'latinos' are doing either ok or pretty badly, depending on if you split them according to skin color.

The issue in America has been and still is why are blacks doing so poorly?

Dressing it up as anything else does no one any favors.

Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#7
post #2

First Stuy, then UofC goes test-optional, and now CMU eliminating demonstrated interest in their application process...the race to mediocrity.

Why does CMU admit more mediocre candidates if they eliminate demonstrated interest? Visiting campus doesn't really say anything about how talented/hard working a candidate is -- all it does is signal that they have enough money and time to visit.

Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#9
post #2

First Stuy, then UofC goes test-optional, and now CMU eliminating demonstrated interest in their application process...the race to mediocrity.

It was wrong decades ago when the Ivy League had a soft cap on the number of Jewish students admitted, and it's wrong now when schools effectively do the same for Asians. They can nudge-nudge-wink-wink "Holistic approach" all they like, but when the data show an Asian student needs 120 more SAT points to get in, it's hard to see anything other than racial bias or de facto quotas.

I don't say this out of self-interest, I'm not Asian. If anything, these quotas help people from my background. I don't care. They are deeply unfair and antithetical to the American values of equal opportunity, fair competition, and not judging people on their race, gender, or creed.

And the students being pushed out by these rules are not rich or privileged. The rich and privileged kids in New York are in private schools that cost more than a luxury car for a year's tuition. Many are children of first generation immigrants.

Re: Why Asian-Americans feel powerless in New York’s elite high schools

#10
Instead of debating the criteria for entrance into these elite schools, why not look at what makes them such great schools and replicate that elsewhere? Sure, in so far as being surrounded by top students who study all the time improves the environment, the current elite is likely to remain the elite and the admissions criteria should still be discussed. But if the gap between the quality of those schools and the others wasn't so vast, it would no longer feel like the difference between being guaranteed success in life vs. being doomed to failure.
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