Asians beware - Top marks largely go to Asians. Bill de Blasio wants to change the exams

..New York has nine specialised high schools, of which eight admit students using the city’s Specialist High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). The education they offer rivals that of private schools that charge $40,000 a year. The high schools are free. The most popular, Stuyvesant, sends roughly 25% of its graduates to the Ivy League or other top colleges. The school’s unofficial mantra is “Sleep, study, socialise: pick two.” It admits 4% of test-takers, pickier than Harvard.

New York’s Democratic mayor, Bill de Blasio thinks the SHSAT favours parents who can afford tutors. He wants to “broaden” (ie, relax) the admissions criteria, to help poorer black and Hispanic families.

The SHSAT also faces a legal challenge. The NAACP, the country’s biggest civil-rights legal defence fund, joined others in 2012 to file a suit demanding changes in admissions procedures. New York City’s public schools, the suit claims, are among the most racially segregated in the country

... Asians make up more than 70% of pupils at Stuyvesant; blacks and Hispanics combined make up 3%, and falling. White pupils took 80% of places in 1970; now it is less than 25%.

we are not geniuses you and i are not special anyone can do that if they set their mind to it. and the limiting factor is time. but if you decide to put the time and effort to it then you (anyone can accomplish anything.

That is a good credo to live by. But it is fairly obvious that you haven't had any kids and that you have not spent much if any time trying to teach others any type of technical skill. Everyone is not capable of learning everything. We most definitely are not all created with the same abilities.

I have always had a very good aptitude for problem solving, technical skills and reading. My parents realized early that I was very adventurous and learned very quickly. When I was given standardized tests in grade school and beyond I almost always scored in the top one or two percent in nearly every subject. It had nothing to do with the amount of time I put in... I actually have an ADHD type of personality and have a very difficult time sticking with any subject that I am not currently obsessed with.

My youngest grandchild is 4 years old. He was talking in full sentences and already reading when he was 3 and now easily outperforms his sister who is 6 in nearly every cerebral activity. He was given an Android Tablet that was designed for kids when he was 3 and quickly mastered every educational program on it. I assume that is how he picked up reading and has learned so many words. No one set out to teach him reading and he hasn't put in any real time or effort, other than fooling with the little tablet that. He is curious about everything, very observant and constantly asking questions. His conversational abilities are phenomenal for a four year old. He argues better than many adults that I know. He got really angry when I laughed at him and asked our daughter if he was training to be some type of circus act. I spent the rest of the evening trying to make it up to him.

I like to play the piano and guitar. I have spent a lot of time trying to pick up sight reading with sheet music on the piano. I do not have good aptitude for that, but my nephew who has never been considered extremely bright by anyone was sight reading when he was very young, and is now a skilled musician. We all have been blessed with varying abilities... we do not all learn the same... and there are some areas that each of us will never master no matter how much time or effort we put in. I am very sorry that is just the way that it works.

Wonderful story.

Once they start learning words, they pick up 3,000 per day if given the chance.

A great big, fat dictionary with root words for all the words is a great toy.

So is language learning at that age. You’re set for life for the ability to learn any language, if you learn that young.

True. I speak from experience.

I’d learn Mandarin.

I didn’t, but there have been others.

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