Once upon a time, U.S. students were awarded gold stars for achievement; merit was the American way. These days, that celestial system has dimmed -- DEI is lighting the way.
Consider the case of Kristina Raevsky, a 14-year-old from Queens. The eighth-grader has a lot to be proud of: Per the New York Post, she's "published four books" and won trophies for debating. Her attendance record is perfect. And where grade point average is concerned, Kristina's killing it -- she boasts an immaculate 100.
Amid her pursuit of excellence, the youngster has harbored a dream: to go to Flushing's Townsend Harris High School. But in 2024, accomplishment alone won't cut it. Identity is king, and New York kneels before the throne.
The Post reports on progressive policy and principles:
Before the pandemic, screened schools like Townsend Harris chose their own admissions criteria. In 2020, former Mayor Bill de Blasio nixed attendance, state tests and letter grades and implemented a system where students with an 85 or above were entered into the same lottery pool, in an attempt to diversify selective schools.
In 2018, CBS News summed up Bill's benevolence:
[M]ayor de Blasio...sees "entrance" exams to Bronx Science and seven other elite high schools as barriers to black and Hispanic students.
"The status quo is broken. We have to make a major change. We have to make sure that the very best high schools are open to every New Yorker, every kind of New Yorker. They need to look like New York City."
Two years ago, Bill's philanthropy underwent an update; more from the Post:
In 2022, Chancellor David Banks, under Mayor Adams, brought back screens and narrowed the top tier of kids to those with a 94 or above, which those fighting for high-achieving students welcomed.
Ninety-four and 100 aren't the same; but Diversity, Equity and Inclusion aims to do far more than diminish that difference.
[S]ince 2022, [the admissions process] sorts kids into five groups based on seventh-grade core subject grades. For screened schools like Townsend Harris, an essay and a two-minute video submission are additionally considered. Then, kids are subject to a lottery.
Essays have become occasional components of woke admissions evaluation -- they allow aspiring attendees to speak their truth, elaborate on their identities, et cetera. Kristina's far from a fan:
"[The video and essay are] where all the subjectivity comes in. If you ask me what to do to change the system, I would say put it back to the way it was when we had objective measures like state tests."
She surely would. In the end, the metaphorical straws were drawn...and Kristina came up short.
"The lottery determined my fate. At the end of all this, I was reduced to a lottery number."
New York's game of chance dropped the overachiever to the 72nd percentile of applicants. So goes social justice.
It's the way of the future, if the present and recent past serve as predictors:
University President Sends a Letter Announcing the School's Top Priority: Racial Justice and Equity
CVS Makes Future Managers Confess Their Privilege, Promises Not to Promote Merely on Merit
In Order to Attack 'Systemic Racism,' a School Eliminates Failure and Time Constraints
Excellence in Equity: California Eyes Obliterating 'Bias' by Getting Rid of Grades
Arizona State University Dean Pens 350+ Page Book on How Grading Writing Is White Supremacy
A Medical School Dissects Its Honor Society Because Grades May Be Racist
Where does NYC's educational system send a girl with a quartet of published books under her belt? To an institution specializing in STEM: She was accepted into the Bronx High School of Science.
Kristina's unimpressed...
“I’m a humanities kid. I like math, but I like history more, and I like writing and reading more.”
Her parents are pulling rank on New York: They've decided to enroll their daughter into a private school -- where she was offered a scholarship. “I’m really glad,” she says. “I’m finally going to be in a place where I belong and am appreciated for my merit and my academic abilities.”
Maybe she can author a book about what she's experienced; or change future history for others like her -- Kristina's goal is to become a United States senator. Her intended focus: education and public safety.
Grow up fast, Kristina -- New York and America need your help.
-ALEX
See more content from me:
Public School District Seeks Superintendent 'Unwaveringly' Opposed to Whiteness
Give Racism the Shaft: Expert Says Banning Biological Males From Women's Showers Is White Supremacy
Find all my RedState work here.
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