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New York Post
16-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
State education honchos must end New York's race-based STEM admissions — once and for all
The New York State Education Department's decision to temporarily scrap its requirement for race-based admissions for advanced STEM classes — after a group of Asian parents and the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater NY filed suit — marks some progress. But it needs to go further and drop the practice altogether. Facing a federal lawsuit, SED will, for now, let schools enroll students in their STEM programs based just on economic need, rather than racial preferences. But it's still fighting to preserve those preferences in court. And schools will still be allowed to use them if they choose even in the meantime. That's an enormous disappointment. In this day and age, with much of public backing a level playing field on race (a Pew poll in December found Americans oppose affirmative action in colleges 50%-33%) — and with the unfairness of racial preferences so obvious — it's hugely disappointing that SED, Commissioner Betty Rosa and the Board of Regents seem so stuck in the past. 'It was unfair and racist for my daughter to be subjected to a low-income requirement just because she is Asian when her black and Hispanic classmates weren't,' fumes Yiatin Chu, a parent who spearheaded the lawsuit. She's right. There's no good, moral reason why, say, a wealthy black or Hispanic student should get preference over a poor, struggling Asian or white kid with similar skills. In 1985, the state legislature created the Science and Technology Entry Program to boost interest in STEM and health care among low-income and underrepresented minority high-school students. C-STEP is aimed at college students from those groups. Yet from its inception, the two programs openly discriminated against Asian and white students. The Supreme Court's historic affirmative action ruling in 2023 couldn't be clearer: College admissions must be race-neutral. Federal education law explicitly outlaws discrimination on the basis of race. And, as Chief Justice John Roberts thundered in the majority opinion, 'Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.' Hear, hear. So when will New York state officials finally treat all students equally — and scrap race-based admission to its STEM programs, once and for all?
New York Post
14-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NY scraps race-based STEM program after Asians claim discrimination
State education officials have scrapped New York's race-based admissions policy for advanced STEM classes for middle- and high-school students after a lawsuit by Asian parents, The Post has learned. The state-funded Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP) admits 11,000 seventh- to 12th-grade students a year for classes at 56 participating colleges and medical schools statewide, with a related College Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). The pre-college enrichment program aims to 'increase the number of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students prepared to enter college and improve their participation rate' in math, science, tech and health fields, according to its website. Advertisement 3 Yiatin Chu, a co-founder of the Asian Wave alliance, praised the decision by New York state education officials to scrap a race-based admissions policy for advanced STEM classes. James Messerschmidt But while black, Hispanic and Native American students could apply regardless of family wealth, Asian and white schoolkids needed to meet certain income criteria — indicating they are economically challenged — or be excluded. A federal lawsuit filed in January accused New York of engaging in blatant discrimination against Asian and white students under the program. Advertisement 'Progress!' crowed Yiatin Chu — a co-founder of the Asian Wave alliance who said her daughter was one of the students discriminated against because of the race-based policy — to The Post. Chu said her then-seventh-grade daughter was 'able and ready' to apply for admission to the summer 2024 STEP program at New York University but couldn't 'because her race makes her ineligible. 'It was unfair and racist for my daughter to be subjected to a low-income requirement just because she is Asian when her black and Hispanic classmates weren't,' Chu said Sunday. 'I'm glad that my lawsuit instigated revisiting these decades long, race-based standards.' Another Asian parent said her daughter was enrolled in 11th grade abd had an overall grade-point average above 80 in math, science, and English but was 'unable to complete an application for admission' to CUNY's Baruch College 'because she was required to satisfy a family income threshold. Advertisement 3 Chu said her daughter wasn't able to apply for the summer 2024 STEP program because of her race. 'I instead paid thousands of dollars to enroll her in an alternative summer science program,' said the parent, who asked not to be identified. A top state education official, noting the still-pending litigation over the program, has already urged directors and administrators of STEP and CSTEP to stop using race or 'historically underrepresented minority status' to determine admissions and instead use only family income as admission criteria. 'As many of you are aware, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) is currently engaged in active litigation concerning the eligibility criteria for participation in the Science and Technology Entry Program (STEP),' wrote Anael Alston, the education department's assistant commissioner of the Office of Access, said in a July 8 memo to directors and administrators. Advertisement 'The litigation challenges certain aspects of our longstanding eligibility guidelines related to student race and ethnicity,' Alston said. 'While NYSED remains committed to defending the STEP and CSTEP programs and their historic mission to increase access and opportunity for historically underrepresented students in the scientific, technical, and health-related professions, we recognize the need to provide clarity and support to the field during this period of legal uncertainty.' The new guidance from Alston said 'effective immediately and until further notice, STEP and CSTEP grantees may determine student eligibility without regard to historically underrepresented minority status, race, or ethnicity.' 'Instead, grantees are encouraged to base eligibility decisions solely on indicators of economic disadvantage, in alignment with applicable state and federal guidelines,' Alston wrote. 'Recruitment, selection, and enrollment of new students may proceed using economic-based eligibility criteria only. Collection or use of race, ethnicity, or minority status data is not required for eligibility.' But Alston also appeared to defend the mandatory race-based admission policy she just eliminated. 'NYSED will continue to vigorously defend the mission and intent of STEP and CSTEP in court,' the official said. Advertisement The lawyers for the opposing Asian parents said state officials capitulated because they know the race-based policy is illegal. But the parents' reps complained that state officials still left wiggle room to continue discriminating against students by using words such as 'may' and 'encouraged.' 3 A federal lawsuit filed in January accused New York of engaging in blatant discrimination against Asian and white students under the program. Andrew Schwartz / 'The state of New York has raised the white flag of surrender in our lawsuit, but not high enough,' said William Jacobson, founder of Advertisement 'Word games are not acceptable,' Jacobson said. 'The state must do away with the racially discriminatory eligibility requirements completely and permanently, or we will ask the court to order it.' Erin Wilcox, a senior lawyer at Pacific Legal Foundation, said, 'The state should be requiring all schools to stop this illegal discrimination immediately, not giving them the option to continue.' In 1985, New York lawmakers passed legislation aimed at boosting interest in STEM and healthcare among low-income and underrepresented minority students. But racial-preference programs — aimed at correcting historic injustices or underrepresentation of blacks and other minorities — have come under the microscope after the US Supreme Court last year struck down college affirmative action programs aimed at boosting minority representation as discriminatory.
New York Post
03-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC parent council elections rife with problems, rule violations: ‘Staggering incompetence'
Voting for New York City's parent education councils has devolved into chaos — with persistent technical issues, ballot errors and apparent violations of campaign rules, The Post has learned. Parents in District 1, which covers the Lower East Side and East Village, received notice Friday that a candidate was missing from the ballot. 'We have cleared the votes of all those that voted prior to the corrected ballot and are asking you to vote again by entering your NYC Schools Account,' an email from the CEC elections team read. Advertisement 4 Since voting opened for Community and Citywide Education Councils, multiple errors and glitches have been reported. Obtained by the New York Post The parent, Rodney Lee, a social worker who served on the advisory council in 2021, was also previously left off the list for the district's candidate forum. 'They're disenfranchising the families of District 1,' Noah Harlan, the council's president, told The Post. Advertisement It comes after voting began last Friday and opened to the system being taken down for 'maintenance' shortly after amid reports of issues. Those who voted before it was paused received calls this week saying they would also have to re-vote before May 13. 4 CEC 1 President Noah Harlan, pictured in Brooklyn last year, is calling for an audit of this year's election. Gabriella Bass Harlan blasted the city Department of Education's Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE), which administers elections. Advertisement 'FACE has a history of staggering incompetence,' Harlan said. 'Once again, they have truly dropped the ball.' FACE, which is reportedly riddled with dysfunction, spends upwards of $5 million on the biennial elections, sources say, yet only about 2% of public school families voted in recent years. 4 Yiatin Chu, co-president of PLACE NYC, is demanding an investigation into the ballot errors. Harlan and other parents are calling for an audit of the election. Advertisement The group Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education (PLACE NYC), demanded an investigation into the 'cause and scope of the ballot errors' on the first day of voting. 'The integrity of parent representation is at stake,' PLACE co-president Yiatin Chu said in a statement. 4 Candidates received an email Thursday about disparaging flyers that represented an 'erosion' of the election process. Obtained by the New York Post Meanwhile, FACE emailed candidates Thursday about complaints of flyers disparaging candidates that were hung near schools, including District 2, where far-left trans rights activists are trying to unseat conservative opponents. 'These actions represent a serious erosion of the fairness and integrity of the election process,' the email read. The DOE did not immediately respond to an inquiry.
