A Virginia school shows that racial inequities aren’t confined to the justice system
The pitiable numbers — African American students make up about 10 percent of Fairfax’s public school system — are a stark reminder that the racial inequities that have been the subject of unprecedented national protest are not confined to the criminal justice system. Education is supposed to be a great equalizer, which makes its failings all the more pernicious.
The racial and social composition of Thomas Jefferson has never, since its opening in 1985, come close to reflecting the racial and economic composition of the Northern Virginia communities from which it draws students. Each year, when stories are written about the scant numbers of black and Latino students and those from poor and low-income households, there is hand-wringing by school officials. But promises to do better and tweaks to the admission policies invariably fall short.
Admission to the school, which has been ranked the top high school in the country, is based on an entrance exam, essays and teacher recommendations that are designed to reveal problem-solving skills and gauge a passion for STEM. Defenders of the status quo argue that admission is based purely on merit and that any efforts to make it more accessible would result in a lowering of standards and quality. “I just can’t see taking a school that . . . [has been] called . . . the top high school in America and changing it because you can’t get kids in from Route 1,” state Sen. Richard L. Saslaw (D-Fairfax) said during a hearing in 2018 on a bill by Sen. Scott A. Surovell (D-Fairfax) that would have forced changes in the administration process. The measure was killed in committee.
Merit, though, in many respects comes down to which parents have the know-how and the resources to put their children — often at a very early age — on the competitive track to get into Thomas Jefferson. They buy homes in the middle school districts that have served as pipelines to Thomas Jefferson, enroll their children in enrichment programs and pay the money, often thousands of dollars, for exam preparation courses. That Fairfax hasn’t figured out how to identify and prepare black and brown children for TJ is to its discredit.
Thomas Jefferson is not alone in its imbalance; selective high schools in other parts of the country face similar challenges of segregation. If there is one lesson to be learned from the protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, it’s that it is time to stop glossing over the systemic issues that have disadvantaged black people. So it is encouraging that Gov. Ralph Northam (D) has created a work group to study issues of equity and diversity at Thomas Jefferson and the state’s other governor’s schools. The group held its first meeting last week and aims to come up with recommendations in time for the start the General Assembly in January.
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