Reply to Who thinks the new TJ admissions proposal will increase URM enrollment?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I find it extremely racist to dismiss the lack of diversity at TJ as: those URM kids are just not interested.

I am a URM minority. My child is at TJ. So, this post is from someone who has firsthand experience with the school. The school is trying to fix the insanely huge diversity problem. No one is saying that the quality of the education has to go down. But, being the very top school in the nation (based largely on test scores) is not nearly as important to me as us giving URM children a chance to experience a high quality STEM program. And, giving the students the opportunity to work with peers from diverse backgrounds, including black and latinx families. 
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Their "lack of interest" (which has never been proven) is likely lack of exposure to STEM, lack of resources to pursue STEM activities, and a general feeling of not being accepted in those privileged groups who do have access/resources. [/b]

These uniformed and biased arguments about why URM are not currently at TJ reminds me of our country's past where white culture promoted the idea that black people were less intelligent and physically stronger so they want to work in the fields. Why would they want a STEM education?

Is the current change in admission policy perfect, no. But, can we please respect that the State is trying to address a very important problem. And, they should not stop until it's addressed. They have tried other options in the past that failed. So, keep trying. I respect what they are trying to do.

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Look, the bolded is the problem.  But to fix it, you need programs that are long-term, expensive, booooring to implement and start very, very early.  It's not a TJ problem.   The SB is too chicken to admit that this is the problem and commit to fixing it.  They want a quick fix. They got it in the lottery - which will do absolutely nothing about exposure to STEM in early ears or adding resources to pursue STEM activities. [/quote]

But, they ARE trying to implement other programs that expose URM to STEM at an early age. Several programs already exist. No one is saying that the change in the application process is the only change - it is just the one getting most visibility. It is okay to implement an immediate fix now while working on more long term solutions. So what if some of the kids coming into TJ need extra support. If they have expressed interest (by applying, by stating so in their SIS) and have a 3.5 GPA and taken Algebra...so be it. Why do we assume that they will fail? Many of the URM children I know how way higher executive functioning skills than kids who have been given everything in life. If the TJ URM kids are willing to put in the time/effort - and TJ can provide the resources - why not give them a chance. And, in time, with the proper investment in early exposure, this will not be an issue.

My biggest peeve is people dismissing this issue as "they just don't want to be there".[/quote]

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