A Selective School for Syracuse?

On Tuesday, the Syracuse City School Board will consider Superintendent Sharon Contreras’ proposal for a selective school, to be called Syracuse Latin.  Students who attend a selective school must pass an exam in order to be accepted, with the idea being that the best students would get the chance to have their gifts and drive nurtured in an academically rigorous environment.  But is this a good idea?

My first reaction to hearing a word like “selective” was to wonder if these schools end up becoming another way to exclude the poor and people of color from the benefits of the best education.  I was wrong.  It turns out that at most selective schools in our country, thepercentages of students of color and students from working class backgrounds are higher.  I was intrigued and continued my research.

Three questions emerged for me as I continued to read about selective schools.  Of course, I wondered how effective they are.  The results are mixed.  A recent study found that selective (or “exam” schools) have a 91% graduation rate and offer more college-aimed classes like advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses.  But another study (this one from England where there are numerous such schools) shows that selective schools are no better (and no worse) than other schools when it comes to social mobility.  The schools did not provide a significant stepping stone for working class students to become middle class, in other words.   And it seems that these schools do not raise test scores for these students (who would have high test scores anyway).  None of these studies could quantify the self-esteem gained from being chosen to attend a selective school nor could they measure the richness the broad course offerings add to a young person’s life.

A second question – which I could not find any data on – was whether the “brain drain” that a selective school might create has an adverse effect on the rest of the school system.  Selective schools tout the fact that students are surrounded by other serious, hard-working young people, but that would mean that the remaining schools in the system have fewer model students to inspire others.

My last question has to do with the curriculum offered at selective schools.  The proposed selective school in Syracuse will be called “Syracuse Latin,” like one of the most prestigious selective schools in the country: Boston Latin.  (Many selective schools have a “Latin” curriculum.)  Although students at Syracuse Latin will not be required to learn the language, the curriculum will be a classical one – something along the lines of Mortimer Adler’s emphasis onthe classical texts of the Western tradition.  This emphasis on content over pedagogy and on the West over other cultures troubles me.

There is one important difference between the proposed Syracuse Latin and other selective schools in the US.  While most of our selective schools are high schools, Contreras proposes that Syracuse Latin cover grades K-5.  This is an unusual step.  What exam will determine, at the age of 4, that a child is suited for this selective schooling?  And how will the curriculum be tailored to this younger age group?

What are your thoughts on a selective school for Syracuse?  Share them here and with the school board.