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May 14, 2002
All kids are equal, some are just more equal than others
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, in Fairfax County, Virginia has a very interesting problem. This high school turns out more National Merit scholars than any other school in the nation, so it's safe to say it's one of the best we have to offer. A look at their news page will give you some idea of the quality of the educational experience offered at this school.
The admission standards are, understandably, very stringent. The competitive selection process detailed on their freshman admissions page includes admission exam scores, records of prior academic achievement (7th and 8th grade report cards), teacher recommendations, and essays administered at the time of the admissions exam. The average SAT score at the school is 1470. The site also specifically states that no student will be discriminated against on the basis of race.
Therein lies the problem. Whites and Asians make up 94% of the school's student population, whereas the surrounding school districts are over 25% black and Latino.
I found a very interesting, in-depth article on this very topic at Education Week. If you're at all interested in such issues, by all means check out this article. Pay close attention to the overall attitude of "We need more blacks in the school", not "We need more resources to better prepare black students in middle school so they can compete equally with whites and Asians."
Posted by Christopher at May 14, 2002 09:22 PM
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