Pulled In Opposing Directions

When so-called social justice conflicts with the academic mission of our universities:

She repeated the class her sophomore year, and then moved on junior and senior years to Geometry and Algebra II, determined to meet the requirements for admission to the Cal State University system. She was accepted to Cal State Los Angeles, and, last month, Velasquez, 19, became the first in her family to attend college.

“It was difficult,” Velasquez said. “If I had to do four years of math, it would have been more difficult.”

Velasquez is among the students, parents, educators and Los Angeles school board members who are opposed to a proposal by Cal State University to require a fourth year of math, science or other quantitative high school coursework for admission, laying bare a tension between two imperatives in California education.

On the one hand, Cal State is seeking to raise standards and academic preparation for all high school students, especially in math. Yet this objective has become mired in a debate about disparities in educational access and quality that disproportionately harm high school students of color and those from low-income families in the state. Some fear that these students’ access to Cal State will diminish if the proposal is adopted.

Aren't they really just advocating for lower university standards?  Be honest, that's the end result of this.  And then, when more unprepared students are admitted to universities, the same people will wonder why those students have such a difficult time achieving success in the universities.

Unprepared students should be in community colleges beefing up their academic resumés.  And if too many of those unprepared students are of specific racial or ethnic groups, then target those groups for improvement.  When doing so, be sure not to fall into the all-to-simple victimhood trap.

Why are CSUs considering increasing the admissions requirements in math?  Could it possibly have something to do with the number of students who are unprepared to do the math required to earn their degrees?  It's just more evidence that a high school diploma is not much more than a certificate of seat time.

I don't blame the CSUs for wanting better prepared students.  Speaking as a former manufacturing manager I can state categorically that it's difficult to put out a quality product when your raw materials are of inferior quality.