Activists to UMich: Admit unqualified students, if they are black

The Daily Caller ^ | April 16, 2014 | Robby Soave

[polymuser]

Why not admit unqualified black folks?

We did it with our POTUS.

[Think free or die]

"demand teachers be fired when they can’t teach at a competent level"

I'm a high school science teacher. The problem with graduating under-prepared students runs very deep. If I were to fail every student who couldn't pass grade-level tests in chemistry, I'd have to fail half or more of each class. This is in a suburban parochial school. When I taught in the inner city, I would have had to fail nearly all of them - and that was biology. By the time they come to high school, many of them are hopelessly behind where they need to be, with weak reading and math skills, and poor work habits. My handful of exchange students from Asia run circles around them, despite somewhat limited English proficiency.

We need to be willing to address academic failure in the early primary grades. Students who can't read properly should not be progressing beyond 3rd grade until they do. Likewise basic math. Social promotion and 'feel-good' self esteem building are doing these kids a terrible disservice. They are passed along year to year with deficient knowledge and skills. By the time they're in high school, it is next to impossible to catch up to where they should be. The top kids are still doing OK, but the average and slightly below average kids are not. A high school teacher can't hold the standard and fail those who don't measure up. Admin will over-ride the grades, fire the teacher, or both.

It has to be fixed with a top-to-bottom commitment to honest reporting and genuine achievement. That also means we need to face the unpleasant reality that not all kids have the ability to learn the most difficult material. I have students who haven't a prayer of understanding chemistry. They should have a drastically modified science course or a more practical academic track. This flies in the face of our society's misguided sense of equity.

I don't disagree that there are poor teachers out there. I've met quite a few. Every field of work has stars, average performers, and under-performers. However, I truly don't think we can put the massive failure of our educational system entirely at the feet of teachers. Education is a reflection of many ills in our society, and we can do much better without firing all the teachers.

[taildragger]

In the Mid 90's the Late and Great David Brudnoi ( Gay Libertarian Talk Show host WBZ in Boston ) had a discussion one evening with a panel of esteems guest, and their subject matter was Political Correctness and tangent topics. One of the guest noted because of Admissions Quota's, Students are getting into Schools like Harvard and Yale and Flunking out when in fact they are good kids, bright students, but might be better suited for a Westfield State, a North Adams State, or in this case of Michigan, Eastern Michigan University. They will graduate from some 4 year College? Yes, do they have the Chops for Big 10 Top 30, maybe not. Maybe some of these kids aren't U of M material, that's ok, ( IMHO U of M is so full of itself and drinking it's own Kool-Aide it isn't funny. )

Look for greener pastures, a school that is a better fit, simple as that...

[Larry Lucido]

“The student, Brooke Kimbrough, ...”

********************

Stu: This is James Kimbrough.

Kimbrough: Nice to meet you, pleasure, thanks for coming in.

George: Kimbrough.

Jerry: Don’t spell.

George: K-I-M-B-R-O-U-G-H

Kimbrough: That’s right.

George: It’s a talent I have.

[justiceseeker93]

Some in the media have attempted to draw a connection between Kimbrough and Jennifer Gratz, a white applicant who was denied admission to U-M in the 1990s, at a time when the university awarded bonus admissions points to minority applicants. After winning at the Supreme Court and leading a statewide ballot petition drive, Gratz succeeded in forcing the university to abandon its practice of considering applicants’ racial makeup.

From my understanding, that is NOT true. As far as I know, the U of M (under the "leadership" of outgoing president Mary Sue Coleman) has not tweaked its undergrad admissions policy to bring it into conformity with the SCOTUS decision in Gratz v. Bollinger and Prop 2.

BTW, Jennifer Gratz never entered the U of M, but went to college somewhere else. I'm pretty sure that this Kimbrough girl, instead of making a big stink about U of M's rejection, can get admitted to MSU, Eastern Michigan, Western Michigan, or Central Michigan.

[cripplecreek]

The voters threw out affirmative action and the university flouted the law anyway.

[justiceseeker93]

The voters threw out affirmative action and the university flouted the law anyway.

Yes, Mary Sue Coleman and cohorts should be held in contempt of the SCOTUS for failing to bring the admissions policy into compliance with the ruling in Gratz.

[cripplecreek]

And again.

People need to make a special point of voting for conservatives in university administration.

[justiceseeker93]

People need to make a special point of voting for conservatives in university administration.

Folks in Michigan are rather fortunate to able to elect the regents of the various state universities, which I don't think many other states do. So yes, take advantage of that opportunity and elect more conservatives to university administration positions.

[wildbill]

Anyone want to bet that most of the unqualified students would turn out to have 4.3 speed in the 100 or have averaged 34pts and 16 rebounds in high school?

[dennisw]

Diverse but separate living in their own private black cabal on campus. They ones who mix with whites prolly get ragged on

[Darren McCarty]

can get admitted to MSU

With a 23? I doubt it these days.

[equaviator]

““I believe that I have been rejected because of the morals that I stand for””

Her belief system gets an “F”.