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Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Lowell High School’s competitive selection process may violate state law

San Francisco’s Lowell High School, ranked among the best public schools in the nation, has long admitted high academic achievers to secure its elite status, a practice that has not only led to racial inequities but also could be illegal.

For decades, parents and politicians have debated the school’s selection process, which is largely based on grade-point average and test scores, saying it has created an institution that is both a feather in the city’s cap and an embarrassment in terms of racial equity.

There were 413 Asian American students in Lowell’s class of 2018 and eight African American students.

But only recently have some district officials acknowledged that using grades and test scores to select students could also violate a state law that prohibits the use of academic achievement for admission to regular public schools.

“What I understand is that we probably are in violation,” said Board of Education member Mark Sanchez.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Last time i checked, you can't make slow fish swim faster by slowing down the faster fish.

Anonymous said...

When you look at the list of famous graduates of Lowell, it's easy to see that there was wisdom in choosing students by performance.

Anonymous said...

This is so sad. Because not enough children of color get in, it is a problem? They set the standards, you either meet them or your do not. In the article, a staff member commented on (paraphrasing), the students need a place where they can learn, free of distractions. Wish we had a public school like this in our area.

Anonymous said...

The children of color who do get in are there because they're the best and brightest, showing the greatest potential for success. 2:12 has it right.

lmclain said...

Ah.... a place where you actually EARN the right to be there and see how it turns out?
MERIT recognizes no color.
The quicker you get to that realization, the more successful you will be.
I'll also bet there aren't any "participation awards" at that school either.
I'll also bet there aren't many fights and no one stands up and tells the teacher "F you Bi**h" and sweeps her desk off with a swipe of an arm.
Some people think they should lower the standards so more black kids could attend. The black people should be outraged that everyone has to LOWER their expectations and standards in order to accommodate them and integrate them into normal society. What an insult.
No group in this country has EVER received trillions (that's right -- TRILLIONS) in benefits and still complains that they just can't keep up unless someone continues to help them, give them special consideration, or drops the normal requirements that everyone else doesn't seem to have a problem with....
How low do the standards have to go before everything is "level" and "fair"??
Refer to the Baltimore school system for your answer.
Keep cheering.

Anonymous said...

If you don't qualify, you don't qualify. Simple.