Sarah Karp in her article titled "Analysis of selective schools data shows poorer students have tougher time gaining admission"; she addressed the issue of creating a system that does not close-the-doors to all but the most advantaged.
In September of 2009, a federal judge lifted the desegregation consent decree that had, among other things, allowed the Chicago Public Schools to base acceptances to their "Selective enrollment high schools" based on race. Under the "Consent decree" admission could be based on a formula of 30% white, 30% Black 30% Hispanic and 10% Asian. The basis for the "Consent decree" was to address the fact that the Chicago school system was deeply divided along racial grounds, and that this separation was working against minorities. For years the CPS faced complaints from "High-scoring" whites and Asian students, stating that they were deigned spots at "Walter Payton School","Northside Prep" and other top "Selective enrollment high schools" based on a "Racial quota". At the same time some in the minority community were complaining that too many of these coveted spots were going to affluent students that had the advantage of having an expensive private school education.
With the desegregation decree gone, the CPS quickly tried to create some system that was in compliance with the law, yet held out a greater number of spots for those students coming from schools in disadvantaged areas of Chicago.
With very limited time to craft a new system; CPS instituted an admissions policy based on 40 percent of the students to be admitted based strictly on the
combined composite scores comprised of 7th Grade standardized test scores, grades and the selective enrollment entrance exam. Each of the three parts carry a maximum of 300 points. The maximum composite score this year was 900. That left 60 percent of the spots to be divided equally between four socio-economic tiers of students. the idea would be that children coming from disadvantaged areas of Chicago, would be competing only against other students in the same tier.
This resulted in a flawed system being replaced with an untested system. This experiment not only removed a "Racial quota", it also eliminated the common practice of balancing classes between boys and girls. The truth was, no one really knew how the numbers would differ from years past. The only thing that everyone could agree upon was that there were going to be "cries of unfairness" coming from all sides.
To no one's surprise, in the aftermath of the acceptance process, complaints were flying from all quarters. The fact that these results arrive at the same time that the CPS has announced massive budget cuts; has only amplified the rhetoric. In response to the growing cries from some minority groups, superintendent Huberman announced that he was adding 25 seats to the freshman classes at Whitney Young, Jones, Walter Payton and Northside Prep and reserving them exclusively for students from the city’s 87 worst performing elementary schools.
There is no question that students coming from privileged backgrounds, have a huge leg-up. These students have access to resources, often including having college-educated parents that place an enormous importance on their child's education. Fairness and compassion demands that society takes steps to bring these poor school, up to a basic standard the guarantees all children a shot at a bright future. It is unacceptable to just "Write-off" the kids as unimportant, but the idea of placing 100 students into positions, at the four most academically challenging schools, that they did not earn nor are they prepared to attend, is folly.
The truth is that there were students that did NOT get in to these schools, despite the fact that they had over 860 Points
It makes no sense to take children that scored under 700, while depriving straight "A" students spots.
In truth, many of these "NEW 100" did not even take the initiative to "Opt-in" to the process.
The CPS created a set of rules, 20,000 + plus students competed for spots in selective schools based on those rules; it is unfair to alter the criteria after the fact. This does an injustice those students that worked so hard but fell a few points short of their goal.
The CPS will not use the words, but the fact is the lion's share of the these 100 students will be African-American. That realization will most greatly impact those African-American that had won spots at these schools by simply out-scoring the vast percentage of applicants. I fear that these impressively qualified minority students will not be respected for their accomplishments, but instead be perceived as only there because of this last-minute political pressure.
It is clear that the CPS does not believe that these "100 Students" will be equipped to compete at these elite schools - it is for that reason they are planing on spending an additional $10,000.00 each student per year to help them deal with the rigorous classes.
I empathize with the motives, but by putting students into a spot they did not earn, nor are prepared for, is unfair to them as well as the students at these schools. It seems better to take the top 400 students from the city’s 87 worst performing elementary schools and put them together into one high school along with the $1,000,000.00 additional funding, instantly creating another selective enrollment school. The resulting high school will then be filled with those children that have demonstrated academic aptitude deserving recognition, yet short of the requirements of the "Top Schools"
In September of 2009, a federal judge lifted the desegregation consent decree that had, among other things, allowed the Chicago Public Schools to base acceptances to their "Selective enrollment high schools" based on race. Under the "Consent decree" admission could be based on a formula of 30% white, 30% Black 30% Hispanic and 10% Asian. The basis for the "Consent decree" was to address the fact that the Chicago school system was deeply divided along racial grounds, and that this separation was working against minorities. For years the CPS faced complaints from "High-scoring" whites and Asian students, stating that they were deigned spots at "Walter Payton School","Northside Prep" and other top "Selective enrollment high schools" based on a "Racial quota". At the same time some in the minority community were complaining that too many of these coveted spots were going to affluent students that had the advantage of having an expensive private school education.
With the desegregation decree gone, the CPS quickly tried to create some system that was in compliance with the law, yet held out a greater number of spots for those students coming from schools in disadvantaged areas of Chicago.
With very limited time to craft a new system; CPS instituted an admissions policy based on 40 percent of the students to be admitted based strictly on the
combined composite scores comprised of 7th Grade standardized test scores, grades and the selective enrollment entrance exam. Each of the three parts carry a maximum of 300 points. The maximum composite score this year was 900. That left 60 percent of the spots to be divided equally between four socio-economic tiers of students. the idea would be that children coming from disadvantaged areas of Chicago, would be competing only against other students in the same tier.This resulted in a flawed system being replaced with an untested system. This experiment not only removed a "Racial quota", it also eliminated the common practice of balancing classes between boys and girls. The truth was, no one really knew how the numbers would differ from years past. The only thing that everyone could agree upon was that there were going to be "cries of unfairness" coming from all sides.
To no one's surprise, in the aftermath of the acceptance process, complaints were flying from all quarters. The fact that these results arrive at the same time that the CPS has announced massive budget cuts; has only amplified the rhetoric. In response to the growing cries from some minority groups, superintendent Huberman announced that he was adding 25 seats to the freshman classes at Whitney Young, Jones, Walter Payton and Northside Prep and reserving them exclusively for students from the city’s 87 worst performing elementary schools.
There is no question that students coming from privileged backgrounds, have a huge leg-up. These students have access to resources, often including having college-educated parents that place an enormous importance on their child's education. Fairness and compassion demands that society takes steps to bring these poor school, up to a basic standard the guarantees all children a shot at a bright future. It is unacceptable to just "Write-off" the kids as unimportant, but the idea of placing 100 students into positions, at the four most academically challenging schools, that they did not earn nor are they prepared to attend, is folly.
The truth is that there were students that did NOT get in to these schools, despite the fact that they had over 860 Points
It makes no sense to take children that scored under 700, while depriving straight "A" students spots.
In truth, many of these "NEW 100" did not even take the initiative to "Opt-in" to the process.
The CPS created a set of rules, 20,000 + plus students competed for spots in selective schools based on those rules; it is unfair to alter the criteria after the fact. This does an injustice those students that worked so hard but fell a few points short of their goal.
The CPS will not use the words, but the fact is the lion's share of the these 100 students will be African-American. That realization will most greatly impact those African-American that had won spots at these schools by simply out-scoring the vast percentage of applicants. I fear that these impressively qualified minority students will not be respected for their accomplishments, but instead be perceived as only there because of this last-minute political pressure.
It is clear that the CPS does not believe that these "100 Students" will be equipped to compete at these elite schools - it is for that reason they are planing on spending an additional $10,000.00 each student per year to help them deal with the rigorous classes.
I empathize with the motives, but by putting students into a spot they did not earn, nor are prepared for, is unfair to them as well as the students at these schools. It seems better to take the top 400 students from the city’s 87 worst performing elementary schools and put them together into one high school along with the $1,000,000.00 additional funding, instantly creating another selective enrollment school. The resulting high school will then be filled with those children that have demonstrated academic aptitude deserving recognition, yet short of the requirements of the "Top Schools"
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