When it comes to magnet school admissions, blame the implementation, not the lottery kids

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In recent months, the Philadelphia School District’s new admissions system for magnet high schools has caused an uproar. This admissions system more colloquially known as the lottery system was implemented in 2021 to increase the number of qualified students attending magnet schools from historically underrepresented ZIP codes.

A 2017 report by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that under the old admissions system, among students with qualifying test scores, Philadelphia special admissions schools rejected higher percentages of admissions. black and Latino students, students receiving federal poverty relief, and those receiving special education assistance.

Although the lottery system was created to help qualifying Philadelphia students who face barriers to attending magnet schools, some have argued that it has led to a decline in the quality of these magnet schools. We have heard from many parents, staff, and other students at the magnet school we attend, Central High School, that some of the admitted students from underrepresented ZIP codes lack the social and academic skills required to succeed in a place like Central.

But students who have been admitted to central schools and other magnet schools under the lottery system have met and in many cases exceeded the required academic standards. They were at the top of their classes and had yet to submit the required essay for acceptance.

While intelligence and talent can be found throughout our city, access to advanced learning resources and opportunities does not exist at all middle schools. Additionally, students entering secondary school this school year have seen their learning disrupted by COVID-19. Many who are against the lottery system overlook the fact that the most recently admitted freshmen spent nearly all of their college years in virtual classrooms.

Many Central freshman class members told us they felt traumatized by the way they were treated. A number of freshmen have reported being bullied by upperclassmen and even adults who call them lottery kids and suggest they don’t have what it takes to attend Central. We understand from students at other magnet schools that this is happening all over the city.

As students of the African American Student Union, we are particularly concerned that this unfair treatment disproportionately harms black students who come from underfunded colleges that do not have an established pipeline of students attending prestigious high schools like Central in the past. Prior to the admissions change, black students were underrepresented at Central and Masterman, although nearly 50% of students in the district were black.

Before the lottery system was implemented, black students made up 18% of Central’s students. After the lottery system was implemented in the 2022-23 school year, the high school’s Central Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion reports that the black population grew to nearly 22 percent. . But the lottery system has barely scratched the surface in terms of ensuring fair representation.

The small increase in the number of black students at magnet schools like Central and Masterman has come alongside claims that students at those schools aren’t as academically qualified or are more likely to get into trouble. . Instead of suggesting that some Philadelphia public school students are less deserving of a good education, we should make sure that all middle school students in the district get the support they deserve when they get to any high school.

Although the lottery system was created with good intentions, it should have been rolled out in a way that provided more support for underrepresented students. Many schools in Philadelphia don’t provide the education that students deserve and that’s because schools are often underfunded and lack the resources to meet the challenges that students bring with them from outside of it. school.

Perhaps the district should target specific schools with additional resources. Magnet schools should do more to reach underrepresented college students to encourage talented students to apply, offer mentorship, and even create a bridging program (like the one we have at Central) to help them prepare. Maybe the lottery should have targeted specific schools instead of specific zip codes and involved magnet schools catering to those schools.

A program that would work alongside the lottery system would allow magnet schools such as Central to support students who have traditionally been underrepresented in their classrooms and educate them about the opportunities available. And it would serve as a mentor for all middle schoolers to prepare them for high school. College students are, after all, the main target of the lottery system. The system was put in place with good intentions and it should continue, but not without significant investment in the students who most need support.

Laila Johnson is the president, Jamerika Grandberry is the vice president, and Dezlen Long is a student at the Central High Schools African American Student Union.

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