WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:55 A.M. ET: From the distinguished African-American scholar, Walter Williams. He's discussing the debate over whether black kids are better off at "elite" institutions, for which they might not be fully prepared, or at institutions that match their degree of academic readiness. From WND.com:
The issue for black parents is not whether their sons and daughters should be admitted to an elite college or one that is lower-ranked. The issue is whether their sons and daughters should be admitted to a college where they would not be admitted if they were white. The question for black parents and black people is: Which better serves our interests, a black student’s being admitted to an elite college and winding up in the bottom of his class or flunking out, or a black student’s being admitted to a less prestigious college and performing just as well as his white peers? I would opt for a black student’s doing well and graduating from a less prestigious college.
Think of it this way. Suppose you asked, “Williams, would you teach my son how to box?” I say yes, and after your son wins a few amateur matches, I set him up with a match against an elite boxer like Mike Tyson or Lennox Lewis. Your son may have the potential to be a world-class boxer, but he is going to get his brains beaten out and have his career ended before he learns how to bob and weave.
It’s the same with any student – black or white. Pupils are less likely to succeed if they are placed in a fast-paced academic environment where their academic achievement levels do not begin to match those of their peers. Such students would have a greater chance of success in a slower-paced, less competitive environment, one more in tune with their preparation and where they might receive more personal help.
COMMENT: So well stated, by a genuinely wise man. Politically correct white college administrators seem less interested in guiding black students correctly than in feathering their own academic nests. We are not serving these minority kids by putting them into high-pressure environments for which they're not prepared.
December 30, 2015 |