It is an exchange that Mr. Shim considers a telling example of why the Kamehameha Schools, a highly rated private institution with campuses on three islands, must maintain its contentious policy of admitting only native Hawaiians. Otherwise, says Mr. Shim, president of the school's Association of Teachers and Parents, many disadvantaged Hawaiians will not get a decent education.

"We're not done serving our kids the way we need to, to serve the Hawaiian population," said Mr. Shim, a graduate whose daughter is a junior at the main Kapalama campus.

Mr. Shim and other Kamehameha supporters were heartened this week when a federal appeals court in San Francisco agreed to reconsider a ruling last August that declared the school's admissions policy in violation of a Reconstruction-era law, the Civil Rights Act of 1866.

# posted by Squach : 10:34 PM   |