DIVERSITY VERSUS. EXCELLENCE?

Few Americans question the goal of academic excellence in the public schools, meaning that all students should be able to learn as much as their skills and talents allow, guided by their personal interests and goals. Likewise, few question the ideals of ethnic and economic diversity in schools, to help prepare students for living in a diverse world.

It is also true that, for a variety of reasons, not all students start school with the same set of academic skills and interests. During the early elementary grades, achievement gaps are not sufficiently reduced to put all students on the same academic footing. By the time students reach middle school, and especially high school, achievement differences within the student population are well-established.

These realities should inform the policy debate now roiling New York City parents about whether to abandon “screened” middle and high schools, many of which select students on the basis of their academic records. Unfortunately, diversity activists seemed to have captured the attention of both Mayor de Blasio and Chancellor Carranza, demanding that schools of excellence should be scrapped in favor of desegregation plans, possibly assigning students to schools by lottery.

The claim that there is no basis for selection this year is a very weak excuse. The missing State test scores and final grades are not obstacles. Testing experts know that 7th grade test scores are highly correlated with State test scores in earlier years, and mid-year course grades can be used in lieu of final grades.

Moreover, the policy choices are not limited to schools of excellence versus diversity programs. It is possible to design programs that allow for both types of policies. For example, some have proposed setting aside a certain proportion of seats for low-income students who might not otherwise qualify when competing with higher income groups. Those who apply for the set-aside seats could be selected according to their academic records, thereby improving diversity at these schools while improving their likelihood of success in a more rigorous program.

The worst possible policy is to abandon excellence entirely and select students for all schools by lottery, simply to guarantee a certain degree of diversity. Not only will such diversity policies fail to close achievement gaps, they will drive middle class families out of NYC schools, leaving a predominantly low-income and minority school district that will offer diversity to none.

Why not, instead, opt for excellence and diversity?

David J. Armor, Professor Emeritus of Public Policy

George Mason University, Virginia