Posted on 09/26/2009 9:05:18 AM PDT by lex33
September 26, 2009
BY MARK J. KONKOL Staff Reporter/mkonkol@suntimes.com Will fewer black students get admitted to Chicago's magnet and selective enrollment schools next year?
That's the question school watchdogs are asking after a federal judge this week lifted a nearly 30-year-old consent decree ordering the desegregation of Chicago Public Schools. The ruling will likely end the consideration of race as a factor in determining who gets accepted to some of the city's best-performing public schools.
"Our primary concern is to ensure there is a fair and equal access to selective enrollment and magnet schools throughout the city," ACLU legal director Harvey Grossman said. "We believe there is no reason to eliminate race completely ... race should still be a factor if that's what's needed to ensure diversity and fairness in admissions policies."
In January, CPS officials argued in federal court that they might use socio-economic status rather than race in determining admission to selective enrollment schools. Friday, CPS general counsel Pat Rocks said new admission rules are being developed and must be implemented quickly. The admission process for next school year begins in October.
"We have a timing problem," Rocks said. "We asked for a transition time, but the court did not provide it in the order. We have to develop a policy very quickly for next year and then have a longer-term dialogue for the future."
One of the proposals being considered by CPS staff is to use U.S. census data on median family income to achieve diversity "across economic levels" by setting goals in the admission process.
Grossman said he's disappointed the court will not "take a third-party look" at new enrollment rules. He said other districts that have not used race as a factor in admission -- in Cambridge, Mass., and San Francisco, specifically -- have "resegregated," and he's concerned Chicago will do the same.
Rocks said CPS is aware of that potential and "will work diligently to avoid that outcome."
U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras also ended oversight of the CPS bilingual learning program, which activists say still needs monitoring.
"We're disappointed. Court oversight of bilingual programs is important and necessary. It made certain CPS is doing things they're supposed to do under the law," Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund spokesman Ricardo Meza said.
Meza said Spanish-speaking parents should contact MALDEF if their children need bilingual services and are not receiving them from CPS schools. If necessary, Meza said the group may file a new lawsuit to reinstate monitoring.
Well there IS a Black Pres. Therefore no further need for Quotas!!!
Here’s a novel approach - why don’t we focus on the things that cause them to fail to qualify in the first place and fix that. Let’s break the culture that belittles academic achievement, break up the public school structure that fails them, and focus on getting them to qualify on their own so people won’t question how they got where they are.
You mean people will now have to prove their ABILITY, WORTH, DETERMINATION, WORK ETHIC and SKILL??? Oh no!! What will happen to our society!
If a school is handing admissions to pupils on the basis of their skin colour then that is Racism. This ‘desegregation rule’ should not only not be reinstated, it should be burnt and then the ashes burnt again.
Fracking about with admissions on the basis of skin color is totally against everything MLK believed in, and against everything Americans should believe in.
Lessee....30 years of these types of policies.
Has the situation of our urban population improved?
sort of.
“”Our primary concern is to ensure there is a fair and equal access to selective enrollment and magnet schools throughout the city,” ACLU legal director Harvey Grossman said. “We believe there is no reason to eliminate race completely ... race should still be a factor if that’s what’s needed to ensure diversity and fairness in admissions policies.”
““”Our primary concern is to ensure there is a fair and equal access to selective enrollment and magnet schools throughout the city,” ACLU legal director Harvey Grossman said. “We believe there is no reason to eliminate race completely ... race should still be a factor if that’s what’s needed to ensure diversity and fairness in admissions policies.””
Diversity trumps hard work and ability every time ;-)
Well there IS a Black Pres. Therefore no further need for Quotas!!!"Our primary concern is to ensure there is a fair and equal access to selective enrollment and magnet schools throughout the city," ACLU legal director Harvey Grossman said. "We believe there is no reason to eliminate race completely ... race should still be a factor if that's what's needed to ensure diversity and fairness in admissions policies."
In the New Haven firefighter's case, Scalia made an oblique reference to revisiting the rationale for affirmative action, but that was all.I was disappointed that SCOTUS didn't simply say that it is unconstitutional to discriminate in favor of people because they look like the president of the United States, or discriminate against people because they don't.
In reality the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed over objections that it would lead to quotas, even if they were expressly forbiden in the Act - which in fact they are. Hubert Humphrey promised to "eat my hat" if the Act led to quotas. It did, but AFAIK he never ate his hat.
Let’s be clear. Without quotas, blacks have EXACTLY THE SAME ACCESSS as everyone else.
If Gubbmint hadn’t stupified, Their, Gubbmint Skools into preaching Multi Cultures of Dependency to start with, the skin color issue wouldn’t Need either visiting, or revisiting.
What is this thing named “race” these self styled leaders are talking about? From people I know admission to the college track highscrewls is quite byzantine.
its an amazing statement. no race but what the hell,its still there.
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