Bacon's Rebellion

Democracy Thrives in Sunlight

Anti-Asian Discrimination is Condoned in Fairfax County

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Robin Beres
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by Carl Noller

People have been coming to America for centuries, many of them drawn by the opportunities this country offered. It was less who you knew or who you could bribe and more what you knew. Martin Luther King may have put it best when he encouraged us to judge others by the content of character, rather than skin color. Recently, however, Democrats have been telling us that this is all wrong — that race is the critical factor. Diversity, as a social goal, trumps all others.

We have been electing Democrats in recent years, and, not surprisingly, they have begun implementing that vision, which inflames racial tensions. This can be seen very clearly with the changes in admissions criteria at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, ranked the best high school in the nation. The School Board deemed the Fairfax County high school too Asian. The student body needed to be more “diverse,” more reflective of the community. The School Board engineered this under a revised admissions process, which eliminated the standardized admissions test, eliminated the $100 application fee, and reserved seats in the freshman class for the top 1.5 percent of applicants from every middle school in the county. The effect was noticeable and will increase over the next three classes before leveling off, as those chosen under the old rules graduate.


If you think this kind of racial gerrymandering is limited to Thomas Jefferson High School, you haven’t been paying attention. It has been a factor in congressional redistricting for almost 60 years, and in the awarding of government contracts and employment offers for almost as long. More recently, it has been extended to policing, criminal sentencing, and disciplining in public schools. The goal is to achieve “racial equity” — it certainly isn’t to reward good performance. If this is the kind of America you want, then keep voting for Democrats at the federal, state, and local levels—for they will give it to you.

The Republican Party rejects this kind of divisive, racist thinking. We want merit-based decision-making at all levels of government. The Republican Party of Fairfax County has specifically passed a resolution condemning what the School Board has done to applicants at Thomas Jefferson High School.

Carl Noller holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Virginia and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (C.F.A.). This column was adapted from the original appearing in The Bull Elephant. It is reposted here with permission.

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30 responses to “Anti-Asian Discrimination is Condoned in Fairfax County”

  1. Not Today Avatar
    Not Today

    MAKE UP YOUR MIND. Do you want ‘merit’ based enrollment that only includes test scores (in which case you, and all Republicans, should be anti-legacy and athletic preference) or not? Do you think a single test score=merit? Do you think ‘merit’ should be considered in light of what students have overcome to achieve whatever heights they have reached (be it rural/urban poverty or family dysfunction, or school quality) or not? How do you define merit? Racial tensions are being inflamed, primarily, by individuals and groups unwilling to/incapable of engaging with these questions (as JAB raised in his last, thoughtful, bit on the topic). WHAT ARE YOU FOR? Have you delved into, at all, the refusal to attend TJ by URMs who *do* qualify based on your limited view of merit?

    1. James C. Sherlock Avatar
      James C. Sherlock

      “Limited view of merit.” That’s what has been holding humans back for thousands of years.

      1. Not Today Avatar
        Not Today

        Indeed. Hence the stupidity of focusing exclusively on test scores. Test scores don’t produce the world’s great artists, musicians, filmmakers, entrepreneurs, etc., and they don’t convince families to enroll in your schools. Intangibles do. And why, for the love of Pete, is waiving a $100 fee for TALENTED students a problem? And if it’s not a problem (anti-merit?) why mention it at all?

        1. DJRippert Avatar
          DJRippert

          ” Test scores don’t produce the world’s great artists, musicians, filmmakers …”

          Neither does TJ.

          It’s a science and technology magnet school.

          If an applicant is not ready for the academic rigor of TJ they shouldn’t be admitted.

          There are plenty of advanced placement / college prep / etc courses in the rest of Fairfax County high schools for budding artists, musicians and filmmakers …”

          1. Not Today Avatar
            Not Today

            The argument is that test scores=merit. If that’s the only way to demonstrate value at selective institutions at any level (not just TJ, do keep up, that’s missing a lot of the picture.

          2. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
            f/k/a_tmtfairfax

            There are ways to demonstrate value outside a single test score. But to avoid bias on the part of the selectors (and bias can cut many ways), admissions to elite schools with substantially more demand than supply should be as objective as possible. TJHSST used to use an objective test but now uses very little objective measurements beyond race and ethnicity. It is admitting some students who are not qualified to attend TJ. How do we know? The school is providing remedial math and science classes to students.

            Thus, the current admissions program is vastly different from the Texas Top 10% program, where students not achieving that requirement are not guaranteed admission to Texas’ best public colleges.

            Had FCPS retained the admissions test or substituted some other objective test, its plan where each middle school is guaranteed so many seats to TJ from those who passed the test would clearly pass any judicial review.

          3. Not Today Avatar
            Not Today

            Or, what it says is that the top students at some of the district’s schools aren’t being offered the same course content and aren’t prepared as a result, not that they can’t achieve, which seems to be the conclusion you’ve drawn.

          4. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
            f/k/a_tmtfairfax

            This doesn’t make any sense. With the exception of some specialty courses, like automotive repair and Russian language, and AP versus IB programs, courses offerings are essentially the same in every FCPS high school. Of course, if there is more demand for some courses at some schools than there is at others, the number of sections varies. And for the courses that are not available, FCPS makes every effort to allow students to attend a school just for those classes. Transportation is provided. So that part of your argument fails.

            Moreover, FCPS has offered extra tutoring and test preparation to any student with an interest in attending TJ at no charge. Attending is a matter of choice. Another hole in your argument.

            Any student, rich or poor, irrespective of race or nationality, who has aptitude for math and science can get both the courses and extra tutoring to enable him or her to gain entrance to TJ. But for any student, it takes a big commitment of time and energy.

          5. Not Today Avatar
            Not Today

            Courses named the same thing do not teach all the same things at the same level of rigor.

          6. Not Today Avatar
            Not Today

            Your assumption remains that it’s skill deficits and not belonging/welcoming deficits that prevent full inclusion. I fundamentally disagree.

          7. Not Today Avatar
            Not Today

            Tests are designed to measure whatever the tester wants them to. They are objective only in so far as they measure those traits/skills that are desired by developers. There is no such thing as purely objective or unskewed tests. There are tests that are more/less biased, and those that are more/less easily gamed through study and prep, and tests with obviously right/wrong answers, but are they truly objective in the way you mean, in determining the relative merit of students? No.
            https://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-myth-of-objective-data/
            https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03004270185200291?journalCode=rett20

    2. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      TJ is one of 30 high schools in Fairfax County. It is the only science and technology magnet school.

      The use of test scores as the basis for entry worked well for years and years.

      Nobody complained that the students weren’t well rounded.

      When you cut through the BS, the only real argument against the testing approach for TJ was that it resulted in too many Asians being admitted.

      1. VaNavVet Avatar
        VaNavVet

        So the prior system resulted in a pro-Asian bias but that was okay. It certainly appeared to be endemic at the school. TJ does not serve or benefit the vast majority of high school students in the county. It would be better broken up into academies placed at many of the other high schools which would benefit all the students of these schools.

        1. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
          f/k/a_tmtfairfax

          TJ was not designed to benefit the vast majority of high school students in the County but rather, offer those students with a special aptitude for math and science a challenging learning experience. This is no different than FCPS’ varsity athletics program. It doesn’t benefit the vast majority of students in the County, but rather, offer those students with special athletic skills a challenging learning experience and advanced competition.

          1. VaNavVet Avatar
            VaNavVet

            This challenging learning experience could clearly be offered in other ways if indeed it was deemed to be necessary. Varsity athletic programs are offered at all 30 high schools. Just as these schools benefit from these athletic programs so would some dozen or so high schools benefit from academies in lieu of TJ.

          2. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
            f/k/a_tmtfairfax

            I’m not sure I fully understand your point. If it is that FCPS offers challenging learning experiences outside TJ, I’m in full agreement. And sports can provide benefits to participants. I don’t understand your point about academies. Can you elaborate?

        2. Tom B Avatar
          Tom B

          pro-Asian bias

          If the only evidence of pro-Asian bias is the higher % of Asians admitted, there is no evidence of any bias. That is evidence of hard work and commitment, rewarded by an opportunity to work harder and achieve more. In other words, those with the greatest work ethic usually trump those with a lesser commitment to their own success. Fairfax County spent a lot of money trying to raise the scores (and admission %) of non-Asian students, but without success.

          But, hey, if we are going to down that rat hole, why limit it to academics? Every HS basketball team has to have a % of short, fat players consistent with the population. The court will be shortened and baskets lowered to accommodate their reduced abilities. Tall players will have to play on their knees. I know, it’s a stupid idea isn’t it?

          The worst part of this fiasco is the harm done to the students who get admitted through this racist scheme. Unprepared, they will likely be scarred for life – their self-confidence shaken and motivation destroyed. All so that a few self-righteous liberals can virtue signal.

          1. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
            f/k/a_tmtfairfax

            There’s hope. They can write editorials for the WaPo.

      2. Not Today Avatar
        Not Today

        Has it? Worked well or did it work for the right people such that complaints were ignored or poo pooed?

    3. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      I don’t believe that there are legacy or athletic preferences at TJ.

      However, for colleges and universities – there certainly are such preferences.

      Legacy preferences should be eliminated by the administrations and boards of visitors.

      I would have no problem seeing the elimination of athletic preferences as well. The NCAA’s decision on NIL payments has eliminated any pretense of amateur athletics in major college sports.

      Just under $1B paid out in NIL deals in the first year of the program. Why should an athlete making $1M+ per year get a free ride to college.

      It won’t be long before a very few conferences become the “farm leagues” for pro football, basketball and (perhaps) baseball. The conferences that get left behind will see their athletic income fall to near zero.

      1. Not Today Avatar
        Not Today

        The major conferences have been a de facto farm league for over 50 years, the only difference now is that major sport athletes have more bargaining power. The truth about athletic scholarships is that most go to white students. Did you know that division I baseball players have some of the worst grades and graduation rates of any major NCAA sport?

  2. William O'Keefe Avatar
    William O’Keefe

    It seems to me that the real solution is to improve the quality of schools in Fairfax County and elsewhere in the Commonwealth so that TJ and schools like it don’t have to engage in any form of discrimination.

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      The other schools in Fairfax County are fine. TJ was meant for the best of the best in math and science. There was nothing wrong with TJ. It was rated the best public high school in the United States.

      But those pesky People Of Color (POCs) known as Asians worked their butts off to get in and dominated the admissions.

      Needless to say, that fractured the liberal fairy tale of systemic racism and white supremacy.

      1. VaNavVet Avatar
        VaNavVet

        It merely introduced another type of reverse discrimination.

      2. Not Today Avatar
        Not Today

        The story of Asians in America is largely an IMMIGRANT one, not one of native-born people struggling against in trenches systems. I know that’s an inconvenient truth but it’s also true. Do your homework. Google. Third gen iAsian students aren’t doing great and the ‘Asian’ label masks the damage done to native-born Asians eligible for US citizenship in Micronesia, Polynesia and the Philippines.

  3. Teddy007 Avatar
    Teddy007

    Gerrymandering has been around longer than the Constitution. To claim that gerrymandering started six years ago is a joke. There were also many other election rules designed to make it hard for the voters to take power away from the incumbents.

    1. DJRippert Avatar
      DJRippert

      Very true. Unlimited political contributions, no term limits (except for the strictest term limit in the country for governor), off year voting …. all contribute to the politicians for life we see in the Virginia General Assembly.

      Gerrymandering in Virginia, if anything, has been significantly rolled back by the state supreme court’s defining of political districts.

      Amazing how much progress can be made (and how quickly) when you take the Imperial Clown Show in Richmond out of the mix.

      1. James McCarthy Avatar
        James McCarthy

        Indeed, the Court created very fair district populations to mitigate gerrymandering. Term limits and creation of a unicameral legislature should be next..

        1. f/k/a_tmtfairfax Avatar
          f/k/a_tmtfairfax

          Would you add Nebraska’s requirement for nonpartisan elections to the legislature to your proposal to move to a unicameral legislature? Just curious.

  4. VaNavVet Avatar
    VaNavVet

    Hard to say with a straight face that the Republican party rejects this kind of divisive, racist thinking. The party is all about CRT, DEI, and any other racial thread it can pull on. GOP candidates specialize in these divisive campaigns with DeSantis leading the way in attacking marginalized groups. They have moved way past “dog whistles” and on to calling their opponents evil and anti-racists which just means racists.

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