learning the history of Philadelphia's most selective public school
It was established as a middle school for advanced students. In 2021-2022, Philadelphia switched all schools to a unified lottery system, and the school's focus on excellence was systematically dismantled. 1/x
With the change, the school (along with all other Philly schools) had no discretion over who to admit. Its pipeline was broken: students from the middle school no longer received even priority at the high school.
Until 2020, it had an advanced math track for capable students. That track was eliminated due to diversity concerns.
In 2022, school administration removed the school's mission statement (to focus on academically talented students for advanced intellectual study). When it resurfaced, language about the accelerated curriculum had disappeared.
Even the school's seal changed:
Out with "Dare to be excellent."
In with, ah... "Middle & High School"
Why was the school's curriculum redesigned? Because school leadership did not want to "advantage" Masterman middle school students over other students who would be admitted to the high school.
Admissions criteria for the middle school were relaxed dramatically.
With that, unsurprisingly, the school's proportion of advanced students cratered.
In 2011-2022, its fifth graders became nearly indistinguishable from fifth graders at other schools.
People who target top-performing public schools in the name of "equity" destroy it: while wealthy parents can flee to private schools, talented kids from poor families rely on free options. In the past few years, Philadelphia has chosen to undermine that.
View full report here:
mastermanhsa.org/status-report.…
Note that the report is from early 2023. Currently checking which, if any, of its recommendations have been implemented for this year.
Return to the idealism that built excellence-focused free schools; reject the perverse idealism that seeks to tear them down.
Pursue excellence.
This was assigned, actually! I was gratified to see the professor included it; it very much dovetails with my interests but I hadn't been tracking it specifically.
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