In an attempt to racially diversify their student bodies, elite high schools are replacing merit with a lottery in deciding who is admitted (“Top High Schools Scrap Merit-Based Admission. Will the NBA Follow? The Daily Signal, Mar. 18). This is the latest attempt to undermine whatever excellence remains in the nation’s public schools.
It’s largely in reaction to the overrepresentation of Asians in the best high schools. Yet if we truly believe that hard work and intelligence are the keys to success in school, then a lottery makes a mockery of those words. The truth is that if students are admitted by lottery, too many will soon find out that they are over their heads. They will then drop out.
In professional basketball, most of the players are black. We don’t demand a lottery to racially diversify teams. We accept the fact that black players are the best. Why can’t we do the same in education when Asians consistently outperform their peers?
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