student admissions and TJ lawsuit

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I don't get it. If you pay for baseball camps, golf lessons, or swim coaching to be a better athlete we celebrate your effort. If you pay for tutoring to become a great at math we look down on you as wasting your life. Academic achievement takes people much farther professionally than does athletic achievement. I think the country is better served by greatness in the classroom rather than on the athletic fields.

Anonymous wrote:
This is just not an accurate assessment of what we're talking about here.

These are not kids who are paying for tutoring to become great at math. These are kids who are paying for tutoring to become good enough at math first to get into TJ, and then to survive it. This is not kids paying for a little extra help to get them over the hump in some international math competition that is going to be their ticket to greatness - I have no problem with that. These are kids who are paying for the ability to take up space in an elite school where they may or may not belong.

We already have a built-in mechanism for kids to excel at academic subjects, and it's called SCHOOL. We already have a built-in mechanism for kids in Northern Virginia to get an exception STEM-focused but well-rounded education, and it's called TJ.

Ah yes. A good ole' fashion rationalization.

Or make a point

My point is that the OP gave an accurate analogy, and a rationalization was provided as a rebuttal.

The rebuttal explained why the analogy is both inaccurate and irrelevant. Keep trying, but harder.

Snark is not a substitute for intelligence. A stolen base is bolded. As others have noted elsewhere, natural giftedness may get you into TJ, but it won't keep you there. And despite the claims to the contrary, taking one or two prep courses will not ensure entrance into TJ.

What many folks don't understand or, more accurately, don't want to acknowledge, is that the kids that take prep courses are also the same kids that go to weekend and summer school, and have done so for years. Their parents prioritize and foster an environment where education is important. Their kids get straight A's not because their parents are ogres, but because the students themselves recognize the value. And it is likely these kids that have the discipline, focus, and study habits to do well at TJ. I would argue that it is exactly these kids (and their parents) that made TJ the No. 1 high school in the country.

Many feel that these kids with a demonstrated track record and the discipline to prepare are "buying" entrance to TJ and “may not belong”. I disagree. If their entrance test performance and other criteria (alas, under the old system) are at the top, I’d say they've earned entrance to TJ and very much belong there.

Absolutely true. Just like in any other field, for excellence, you need to prepare and work hard. As simple as that. STEM is not easy - for anyone. Parents clamoring for removing admissions test and essentially trying to put in enough subjectivity to make the outcomes unpredictable and lottery school like, you are doing no one a favor. Try to get your kids to take some discomfort and work hard. Have higher expectations! They will at least to better prepared for life.

I agree with some of what you're saying, it isn't exactly fair or accurate either. This is more like a rich kid hiring someone to work hard on their behalf which tilts the balance heavily in their favor. It isn't a fair contest when it's being rigged like this.

[Anonymous]

Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

More details, please..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

More details, please..

Injunction denied so class of 2026 has the same admissions policy as 2025. Trial for remaining claims will come no earlier than January 2022 with years of appeals ahead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

More details, please..

Injunction denied so class of 2026 has the same admissions policy as 2025. Trial for remaining claims will come no earlier than January 2022 with years of appeals ahead.

It was obvious this had no merit from the onset.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

More details, please..

Injunction denied so class of 2026 has the same admissions policy as 2025. Trial for remaining claims will come no earlier than January 2022 with years of appeals ahead.

It was obvious this had no merit from the onset.

So trial for remaining claims could be in 4 months. OK.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

More details, please..

Injunction denied so class of 2026 has the same admissions policy as 2025. Trial for remaining claims will come no earlier than January 2022 with years of appeals ahead.

It was obvious this had no merit from the onset.

This is baseless stuff and will be laughed out of court.

[Anonymous]

The judge earlier said it was obvious that race was considered so it won’t be laughed out of court. PI has a different standard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Coalition for TJ lost in court again today.

Can we get a link to this?

[Anonymous]

Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

Here's another complete factual inaccuracy from the PLF brief:

" For example, under that plan, two middle schools—Kilmer Middle School and Longfellow Middle School—were grouped into the same regional pathway. These schools are both majority Asian-American, and in 2018 (the last year for which school-level data is publicly available) sent a combined 99 students to TJ."

Longfellow is over 50% white and 20% Asian and Kilmer has a plurality at 45% white and is 24% Asian.

Starting to see why the motion for injunction failed. If your brief contains lies, that's a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

Here's another complete factual inaccuracy from the PLF brief:

" For example, under that plan, two middle schools—Kilmer Middle School and Longfellow Middle School—were grouped into the same regional pathway. These schools are both majority Asian-American, and in 2018 (the last year for which school-level data is publicly available) sent a combined 99 students to TJ."

Longfellow is over 50% white and 20% Asian and Kilmer has a plurality at 45% white and is 24% Asian.

Starting to see why the motion for injunction failed. If your brief contains lies, that's a problem.

Here's another beauty part to all of this:

One of the named complainants in the PLF brief is a current TJ parent. They have multiple students currently at TJ, including students selected under both the old and the new admissions processes, and is complaining on behalf of their future applicant.

They are a member of the new TJ PTSA's Executive Committee that is operating under probationary status due in part to their members' inflammatory and inappropriate statements surrounding the admissions process.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

No, but let's be hones and admit they are exploiting those pockets to dilute the Asian percentage of the TJ population. I am certainly not saying that FCPS will lose this case as geographic minimums sound reasonable to me. But being intellectually honest, I cannot deny that the admissions changes were set up to increase the population of URMs at the expense of high performing Asian Americans. Again, not saying this is illegal or wrong, I'm just saying I understand their point of view and do empathize with them. Calling the Asian Americans at the school toxic and cheaters is making the conversation of reforms much, much worse as both sides have retreated to their respective corners. This is what may lead to TJ getting shut down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

No, but let's be hones and admit they are exploiting those pockets to dilute the Asian percentage of the TJ population. I am certainly not saying that FCPS will lose this case as geographic minimums sound reasonable to me. But being intellectually honest, I cannot deny that the admissions changes were set up to increase the population of URMs at the expense of high performing Asian Americans. Again, not saying this is illegal or wrong, I'm just saying I understand their point of view and do empathize with them. Calling the Asian Americans at the school toxic and cheaters is making the conversation of reforms much, much worse as both sides have retreated to their respective corners. This is what may lead to TJ getting shut down.

I don't think anyone reasonable disagrees with you about this. But the reality is that those kids from underrepresented schools and groups are also high-performing, and to refer to them as anything else is incredibly problematic.

I understand their point of view too, and empathize with the fact that the rug got pulled out from under them at the last minute. We agree there.

I think there is a subset of people who have never known the school to be anything other than majority-Asian, who hear that the environment at TJ is toxic and has a cheating problem and immediately ascribes those words to the Asian community at TJ. In reality, TJ's atmosphere has always been problematic in terms of both hyper-competitiveness and issues with academic integrity, and those issues LONG predate the school being majority-Asian.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Just caught this gem from the Memorandum in Support of Motion for Preliminary Injunction (which apparently was denied):

"Coalition members with children who will apply to TJ for the class of 2026 will suffer irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction—they will be forced to compete in an admissions environment that makes it more difficult for them to gain admission into TJ because of their race."

This is laughable.

They're in an admissions environment that will make it more difficult to gain admission because of their geographic distribution, not because of their race.

The fact that the South Asian population of Northern Virginia has self-segregated into small pockets in Herndon, Chantilly, Ashburn, and South Riding is no fault of FCPS or of TJ Admissions.

Here's another complete factual inaccuracy from the PLF brief:

" For example, under that plan, two middle schools—Kilmer Middle School and Longfellow Middle School—were grouped into the same regional pathway. These schools are both majority Asian-American, and in 2018 (the last year for which school-level data is publicly available) sent a combined 99 students to TJ."

Longfellow is over 50% white and 20% Asian and Kilmer has a plurality at 45% white and is 24% Asian.

Starting to see why the motion for injunction failed. If your brief contains lies, that's a problem.

Here's another beauty part to all of this:

One of the named complainants in the PLF brief is a current TJ parent. They have multiple students currently at TJ, including students selected under both the old and the new admissions processes, and is complaining on behalf of their future applicant.

They are a member of the new TJ PTSA's Executive Committee that is operating under probationary status due in part to their members' inflammatory and inappropriate statements surrounding the admissions process.

This is simultaneously hilarious and sad.