Thomas Jefferson High School of Science and Technology is a highly selective public high school in the D.C. suburbs of northern Virginia. I mentioned it in passing here but have never given it the attention it deserves, even though it has generated “diversity” arguments for years.
Now I don’t have to, since reader Sean Duffy, a 2001 TJ graduate who is now at Stanford, has done it for me. Here is an email (actually, a very slightly edited composite of two emails) I received from him today that I post with his permission. Read it, and you’ll see why my adding anything would be redundant.
I enjoy your website, and I would love to hear your thoughts on the controversy surrounding admissions to the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia. TJ is a selective public high school in Fairfax county that has been criticized in recent months for not admitting enough minorities (or rather, not admitting the right minorities). Unfortunately, the academic excellence at what is arguably the best public high school in the country is being steadily subverted by a campaign for more (or rather, different) diversity. Let me summarize what’s been going on:
Articles in the Wall St. Journal and the Washington Post have focused on county education officials calling for more diversity, and some officials have called the school’s totally race-blind admissions process racist. One official in an Aug. 9 WaPo article is quoted as saying “We cannot accept the racist implication that Blacks and Hispanics are somehow less qualified to attend TJ” (I don’t have the quote in front of me, so this is from memory). Here are some of the articles:
“Fairfax Official Laments Magnet’s Scant Diversity” — Washington Post, Aug 9, 2003, page B1 (I don’t have access to the full text); Wall Street Journal; and there are more here. [The article Sean refers to can be found here, and letters in response to it here. — JSR]
The calls of racism are interesting because the admissions process is so transparent: 2000-3000 students from all over Fairfax County apply to the school. The applicant pool is first cut to 800 students based on entrance exam scores, and then cut to a final 400 students based on teacher recommendations, essays, and extracurricular activities. What does this get? TJ’s average SAT score is 1470 (higher than many “elite” universities) and in 2001 (my class year) the school produced 151 National Merit semi-finalists out of a class of 400 students. Parents understandably salivate at these kind of numbers.
Well, is the school diverse? As is the case in many schools, the problem is not lack of diversity but incorrect diversity–about 139 students of a recent incoming class of 400 students were Asians, the enemies of diversity. There were only something like 4 African- Americans and 10 Hispanics in that incoming class. When I attended the school I had little idea that by celebrating Chinese new year and attending Namaste club celebrations, I was in fact contributing to the oppression of minorities and the quashing of diversity.
What was the school really like? It was a jungle of unbridled intellectual curiosity. I wish every “academic” could have experienced Jefferson, because it’s atmosphere was in every way what I consider the perfect breeding ground for excellence. The Jocks were doing their BC Calculus homework before football practice, and the Lab Geeks were running cross-country in the State Championships. And this gets to the heart of this issue — Jefferson’s excellence comes from its students. Their is nothing special about the building, the teachers, the school name, or the drinking water that produces success. Jefferson is defined by its student body. By sacrificing excellence in order to achieve a different color-palate, the school district is undermining the very reason that parents strive to get their kids into TJ. I have come to the sad realization that TJ as I have known it will cease to exist in only a few short years. Academic achievement has become offensive and is marked for termination.
John, I hope you will post something on your website about the TJ debate. When a county of 1 million people rise up against excellence, something needs to be done….
…. Someday I’d like to write a more detailed piece about Jefferson because I encountered so many amazing, DIVERSE people there :) Alas, this email will have to do for now. I found one more article that is quite detailed and relatively objective. Like many news stories, however, it sensationalizes the debate within the school and among students. In reality students at TJ are more worried about Prom and chemistry quizes than anything else, and they are relatively insulated from the debate that rages outside the school walls.
Sincerely,
Sean Duffy
TJHSST class of 2001
Stanford University class of 2005
Mechanical Engineering major, Economics minor
Unfortunately, this situation is not new. I went to what was then the best High School in the country, the Bronx HS of Science (5 Noble Laureates to their credit). When I attended the school, the student body was almost all white (with the vast majority of those students being Jewish). In those days, that was not a crime. However, with the changing demographics of the city, suddenly there was a need for a more “diverse” student body. The original admissions requirement was a special test that was, of course, colorblind. To get around this “problem”, they added an admissions committee that took into account “other” factors so that a higher percentage of the student body would be of the “right” type.
Richard and Sean’s tales are sad and bode ill for the country. However, they are surprising to me only in that it has taken the “diversity” Borg this long to extinguish these programs. In my ignorance, I had no idea that strictly merit-based admissions even existed contemporarily–particularly in a public institution!
As an aside, I wonder at what point preferences will be garnered for Islamic Jihadists. They are a vocal minority (for now), and can surely cite some historical “oppression.” In light of this group’s grievances (and those of many others), it seems unlikely that blacks/hispanics/native americans will be able to maintain their preference oligopoly into perpetuity.
What I find interesting is that detractors of TJ are complaining that “minorities”, without access to TJ, aren’t getting a good education. To the contrary, Newsweek did a study of the nation’s high schools and EVERY other high school in Fairfax country made the list as one of the top 1% of high schools in the country (TJ wasn’t in the list because of the special admissions program). Fairfax has possibly the best school district in the entire nation and TJ is the pinncale of it. It would be a shame to ruin TJ’s rep on the basis of “discrimination”
And why aren’t Asians considered minority? One of the articles talks about a black person feeling self-conscious about being the only black person. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been the only Asian in a classroom.
I’m thinking that having a column for “race” in the TJ application is a kind of discrimination. they make statistics by race for how many people get into TJ and people compare them. that’s how the trouble starts. but than i think, if they didn’t have that column, than discrimination would increase, for there will be no proof of discrimination.
in my opinion, it’s just bogus that people question the intelligence.it’s wrong that they mentioned that a lot of asians get in. why is that so wrong? i’m an asian and i happen to know that asians who are determined work very hard. maybe that’s why they make it in and not because of their race. according to statistics, most white people make it in and i didn’t see anyone here mention that. some people like to compete aginst races who have the highest test scores. that’s why they shouldn’t show statistics.
if we compete against each other because of our race just to get into a school…. well… havn’t i explained myself enough? it’s just wrong. they shouldn’t show what races get in. why does it matter?
why should it matter?
As a current student at TJHSST, I have experienced much more diversity then I did at my 50% black middle school. Much more intellectual diveristy, that is. During my 3-year “TJ experience,” I have met so many different minds and ideas. Each person, reguardless of race, is different in their own way.
Diversity? Perhaps we should now call it discrimination or even racism? I am a white European, now an Australian citizen, living and studying in Australia. But somehow, i find my self feeling like an African or Asian. Why? Because some do not understand the concept of the word diversity, they link it with discrimination. Countries around the globe are now experiencing diversity with many people comming and making a living from other counties. We are all human, we aren’t apes to constantly have to hold onto our territory, we are all on this earth to survive and have a goal in life. Thank God we aren’t clones, otherwise the word diversity wouldn’t have a place on earth.
I go to TJ and it’s a big deal about the whole admissions process. Racism is always a sensitive issue and as a black student, it’s especially sensitive for me. There are programs like QUEST that focus on trying to get more diversity and a lot of the minority students (especially ones who didn’t go to a middle school with GT) pass through before coming to TJ. I didn’t and I got in on the regular process..which i’m not trying to brag about, i’m just making a statement. There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the decision to admit more students next year. I personally think that admitting more students is not going to get you a higher percentage of minorities because percentage is dependent upon the sum total of all students and it’s basically going to be the same ratio.
What I think is MUCH MORE important is to make sure that kids in middle and elementary schools get the right education to prepare them for high school (since all the high schools ARE really good). It’s not like it’s not FAIR that minority students don’t get this great education if they’re not “smart” enough for it. What’s more important to be FAIR about is the elementary and middle school education. It’s not like students @ TJ are greatly unexposed to diversity like kids in the south or anything. I just think that TJ is a really really great school and too many changes could take away the whole point of it. I’m really not sounding to sound like some elite person who’s like “OH YEAH i’m so great i go to TJ!” what i’m saying is that it’s a really sensitive issue and could really affect the entire school system, which would not be good.
I also go to TJ now, and I can tell you that you’re right, there are a lot of asians there. However, it is discriminatory (if that’s a word) to show aggression upon the group (which I’m a part of) because nobody makes puts down the overwhelming number of white people there. Oh dang, I just noticed everone else posted in 2004. Lol.
Please read the last poster’s note. I believe he just proved the point that TJ has, in fact, lowered their admission standards too much.