Creating More Equitable Admissions Policies for Magnet SchoolsWe need more equitable admissions practices in what are called “Governor’s Schools.” Earlier this month, Governor Ralph Northam appointed me to a task force with about 20 other individuals including Secretary of Education Atif Qarni to examine equity within our Governor’s Schools System. Governor’s Schools were created in 1973 to provide an intense, summer academic experience to high-achieving students and were later expanded to full-year programs, including Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) in Fairfax County which also serves Prince William and Arlington Counties.
I have often expressed concerns about TJHSST’s admissions practices. Very few children from eastern Fairfax or Prince William Counties are admitted. When I reviewed data few years ago, fewer than five children had been admitted out of 125 applicants from Walt Whitman Intermediate School. In the most recent freshman class, there were none or there were so few African American students admitted that Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) was prohibited from releasing the actual number.
