Saving American meritocracy
America is unlike any country in the world. Our beloved nation was founded on many principles, mainly our freedom, liberty, and democracy that set us apart from the rest of the world. One of the many things that makes America so great is our merit-based society, which thrives on hard work and competition. Meritocracy has put America at the forefront of the world stage whether it be our economy or military. We are blessed and should consider ourselves lucky to live in such an amazing country as America. However, our country as a whole is on a decline because of those in power who are diminishing the value of merit.
New York City has always been known for its top schools that attracted students from all over the country. Sadly, the new admissions policy is enticing more and more families to leave the city. In the past, academically screened high schools admitted students based on three main criteria: grades, NY State test scores, and attendance. Now, this entire system that has served as a truly objective way to admit students has been turned upside down. Majority of academically screened schools are admitting students based on a lottery. Students are put into priority groups based on their grades, assigned a lottery number, and then admitted into high schools in descending order based on these lottery numbers and groups. According to this system, a student with a 95 average is competing for the same spot with the same chances as a student with a 100 average. If I submitted work in math class that said 95 = 100, I would be considered insane. Don’t I know any better? How can two different numbers be equal? That is a great question to ask the Department of Education. While this is significantly better than the previous admissions process (the top priority group was widened from 85–100), at the end of the day it is still a lottery. You slaved away for that perfect average, but now got a “bad” lottery number? Oh, well, that’s too bad for you.
A few NYC academically screened schools opted for a different system. Townsend Harris, Bard, and Baccalaureate high schools are all doing the following: 40% of your admissions is your 7th grade final grades (in the four core subjects), 20% is a video, and 20% each for two essays, which are written at home (leading to a variety of issues regarding authenticity). Each category is given a grade which is then calculated for your final score to admit students in descending order from the highest scoring. The system is not ideal, given that 60% of your final score is based on subjective things, but still much better than what the other schools are doing, no? In reality, the 40% for your grades is borrowing properties from the aforementioned lottery system. Students are placed into groups, and each group gets the same grade for that 40%. For instance, all the students with a 95–100 average are placed into group 1 and given a 100 for the 40% grades category. While 95 is an excellent grade, different numbers exist for a reason. The grades that are getting considered for these schools are not those that were earned, which is not a fair and honest way. It is disheartening to students who strive for perfection, only to now be in the same shoes as everyone else, and having that hard-earned advantage taken away. Things get even more disheartening for those in Group 2. A student with a 94 average would be placed in group 2, but everyone in that group gets the same grade: a 90! So now, all the hard work that the 94-student put into getting that grade has gone out the window and his/her chances are getting lowered when that is not the grade he/she earned! Simply put, grouping students is not the way to go. Instead of having winners, this system is leading to a mediocre society. Society should focus on providing equal opportunities, not equal outcomes.
Diminishing merit is not a single issue of high school admissions. It is a two-fold problem, which has deep roots stemming as far back as elementary school. Upping your game starts at the very beginning because by the middle school level, differences between students and the way they were prepared at a young age are extremely apparent with no way to catch up. As a student, I saw with my own eyes how low the standards were in elementary school. It is only when I got to middle school that the classes became somewhat more rigorous, but that is because my school is lucky to have honors classes where we borrow curriculum that is a year ahead. This shows how low the standards are, that 6th graders are able to do 7th grade work, and 7th graders 8th grade. Moreover, it is important that there are different class level difficulties to meet the needs of various students. Some need extra help while others need accelerated classes, and some are perfectly comfortable in the middle. The entire education system has to recognize that different students need different things, and until that is understood and implemented, continuing “heterogeneous classrooms” will only be failing our children. If we as a country expect to have a fighting chance on the world stage, we need to prepare our students better starting from Day 1. Today’s children are tomorrow’s politicians, doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Instead of lowering the standards with each coming day and concerning ourselves with other matters, such as favorite colors and other social-emotional topics, we must work to prepare our young generation to thrive and help our glorious nation thrive for generations to come.
However, as much as schools are to blame, much comes from home and family. It is easy to point fingers at the Department of Education, but not always that simple to recognize other equally important causes. Successful students have a love of learning and an understanding about the value of hard work. School doesn’t instill these values in children, it comes from home.
It is vital for the education system to help students reach the bar instead of lowering it further and further, accept that students have differing needs, and stop with the unfair admissions policies. At the same time, society as a whole has to take one step back and see the entire picture. Schools cannot change the home, but society can.
Kristina Raevsky, two-time author and education meritocracy advocate
