Learning From Asian-American Success
City Journal | Neetu Arnold
Arnold argues that shrinking disparities by penalizing high achievers helps no one. In the name of “educational equity,” high-achievers are being encouraged to stop working so hard.
Arnold points to a recent article by Amherst’s Faculty Equity and Inclusion Office who claims that “As Indian American children boost their test scores and other academics…they inadvertently contribute to… a troubling trend: the widening educational gaps between higher-income and lower-income families…So, while Indian Americans… worry that otherwise their children will lack equal opportunities, they reinforce educational inequality in the process.”
Supporters of “educational equity” believe that standards should change to adjust more effectively for ‘structural biases’ against underrepresented minorities.” The result? “Schools in California, New York, and Washington recently eliminated their honors classes. Harvard implicitly set higher testing thresholds for recruitment for Asian-American applicants. And many universities no longer require SAT or ACT scores in admissions.”
Arnold has another approach: “Equity policies present quick, superficial fixes instead of addressing deeply ingrained cultural problems. A more sensible approach would recommend that academically struggling students and families model their decision-making after those who succeed academically and economically… Life is not a zero-sum game. The successes of some should inspire others to do better, not fuel bitterness and envy.”
Related
How Indian American spelling bee dominance may fuel educational inequities (The Conversation, 6/3/22)
Harrison Bergeron full text (Kurt Vonnegut, 1961)
