Posted on 06/25/2007 7:27:12 AM PDT by Maceman
June 25, 2007 -- A Brooklyn mother and father got the shock of their lives when school officials informed them their brilliant 11-year-old girl was denied admission to an elite public school - solely because she's of Indian descent. "I feel bad because I would have gotten in if I was white," Nikita Rau lamented over her failed bid to attend the Mark Twain School, IS 239, in Coney Island, a magnet school for gifted students.
It turns out Mark Twain - unlike all but one other city public school - admits students according to racial quotas established in 1974 by a federal judge who ordered the school's desegregation.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
I think she should be admitted on merit alone. Setting different scores based on racial/ethnic background is just plain wrong. One standard for everyone. If 77 is good enough to admit a ANY student to the school, she exceeded the requirement.
I'm wondering about John Galt as well. He was last seen performing janitorial tasks at the railroad station.
I think you missed the point of the story, which is that racial quotas perpetuate the cycle of racism for each new generation.
Also, the do-good Progressive social engineers just never seem to learn the lesson that there is a law of unintended consequences.
The evaluation process of any competitive school discriminates, by definition. I agree quotas are bad, because they lead to situations like this. That being said, factoring race, ethnic origin, or economic background as one factor among many isn't problematic.
If points are given in the evaluation process for grades, extracurriculars, recommendations, etc, why can't a point or two be given for race or economic background? That seems fine to me, and always has.
Some people win, some people lose. If the school doesn't want me, I wouldn't want to go. That 'rugged individualism' conservatives talk about is just bluster.
I got the point - I just have a hard time taking those whiners seriously.
That’s how I feel, too. I remember back in the fifties or sixties there was ‘racial profiling’ in the tests.
It hasn't gone away. There is still "race norming" applied to a variety of tests. It's really difficult to compare scores when the social engineering weasels are at work. The rubber hits the road when all the candidates actually have to perform. The "race norming" advantage suddenly disappears in the real world. If you're not as good as claimed, it shows up very quickly.
“Why can’t we all just be people?”
I love it!
A race is a sub-species. To qualify as a race a group must be: 1) Interbreeding. 2) In a geographically distinct area. 3)Physiologically distinct.
By that definition you could make the case that the Amish are a race.
What’s really unfair is how some kids have parents who don’t give a rat’s patooti. If they’re not taught the importance of learning, they’re already at a disadvantage.
This isn't the Balkans.
This is the United States of America.
Once you get here (legally ... sorry, I had to add that...) you're American.
Act like it.
And drop the hyphens.
Because it's illegal.
If that’s true, lots of people are going to have to be locked up.
That would be nice if we could lock up all the racial bean-counters and toss the key.
Nah - there’s a smart way to factor in race, and a dumb way. I have no problem with the smart way.
The smart way to factor in race is to discriminate by merit, not a racial-spoils game where liberal courts and sleazy administrators continually jockey the rules. But the best way is ged rid of taxpayer support for education. Then private schools can make their own rules.
The educational evaluation process for competitive schools is not entirely based on merit, so I don’t understand your reliance on that factor. It’s largely based on merit, but not exclusively. And that’s a good thing, I have always contended.
I go even one better. I write in "Native American," since I was born here, as were my parents. My four granparents were all Jews from Russian and Poland, but they're dead.
If anyone objects that only ummm... Indians ... can be called native Americans, I politely point out that the correct term for people in that group is "Aboriginal American."
I guess you are talking about "legacy" points for children of alumni. I don't think that should be allowed for tax-supported schools.
Successful cultural groups are not considered to be “real” minorities.
You have to have a 80% illiteracy rate, a 70% illegitimacy rate, and have 3/4 of your adult males incarcerated.
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