Sean Nguyen, 16, a TJ rising senior and student government association member, said the school is badly in need of increased diversity. They want to raise the minimum core academic class grade-point average for admittance to Jefferson from 3.0 to 3.5. The other districtwide ethnic portions are 40 percent Whites, 20 percent Asians and 10 percent Blacks. They might consider the possibility that a better measure is the percentage of students who want be there. The school's diversity has stayed relatively flat over five school years. There would be separate Jefferson lotteries in each of five similar regions in Fairfax County and in the other participating districts. Rising seniors at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology gather on the campus in Alexandria, Va., Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. How do you make the nation’s most selective high school into something more than an intellectual playground for clever Asian and White kids from affluent families? Non-magnet schools in that region have a wide array of college-level courses, such as Advanced Placement, and offer them even to ninth-graders. Created by Beverly Richmond, a 1977 graduate of Thomas Jefferson, the petition states: He found less competition for Ivy slots at neighborhood schools than at selective magnets. Schools that score high in diversity metrics are those with the greatest variety in ethnicity, gender, age, and geographic location of origin. At a meeting on Thursday, the Fairfax County School Board will try to answer that question for its famous 35-year-old magnet, the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. From left in front are, Dinan Elsyad, 17, Sean Nguyen, 16, and Tiffany Ji, 17. Many people didn’t think education should be run like a church bingo game. The Fairfax County School Board will discuss a proposal to overhaul admissions policies for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology at its meeting tonight (Wednesday).. With the goal of improving the diversity of prestigious magnet school, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Scott Brabrand has proposed eliminating the standardized test currently used to … An important factor not mentioned in the report is this: Many smart Fairfax students eligible for Jefferson don’t want to go there. Large-scale study will track virus spread, vaccination rates in Washington ... France to allow limited border reopening, but it may take days to clear out... Tucked into Congress’s massive stimulus bill: Tens of billions in special-i... Debunking five common concerns about the covid-19 vaccines. Negotiations have been halted, and the Chicago Teachers Union will began their strike September 10, marking the first teachers' strike in Chicago in 25 years. I fled with my family to Australia. 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Please include any comments on: Thank you for your school recommendation! A rash of pepper spray incidents at public schools have resulted in hospitalizations, lawsuits, and many tears. Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) is dedicated to the education and mentorship of high school students, preparing them for higher education and health professions. No change that renders the school less selective will please people who think an institution’s value is demonstrated by how few people get in. The AP® participation rate at Thomas Jefferson High School is 51%. Only 12 got in. That is a big change from the actual admitted class — 1 percent Black, 3 percent Hispanic and 0.6 percent low-income. This has produced gasps in the Jefferson community. Yet the details of their plan are not as revealing as an early item, “History of Admissions Changes,” in their Sept. 15 report on Jefferson. Source: 2017-2018 (latest school year available) NCES, WA Dept. The student:teacher ratio of 22:1 is higher than the Washington state level of 18:1. The school is mostly Asian, and could benefit from more equitable opportunities for Black students, Hispanic students, and low-income students to apply and succeed. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is a Fairfax County public magnet school so competitive that its 17-percent acceptance rate is identical to Georgetown University’s. In the Name of ‘Diversity,’ Woke Bureaucrats Lower the Number of Asians in the Nation’s Best Public School Kenny Xu / @kennymxu / December 11, 2020 / 171 Comments Thomas Jefferson High School … Like many other U.S. public school magnets, Jefferson’s largest ethnic group is Asians. Learn about fashion-based public high schools in America, as well as relevant courses available at every public school. Diversity & Inclusionat Jefferson. The school is well funded and has various technology equipment and lab opportunities incomparable to those of other local high schools. The bowl schedule is filled out, but it’s altered and diminished by the cor... How moonshine, multi-hour Zooms and a deadly pandemic pushed Congress to ap... Man who died following medical emergency on United flight had coronavirus, ... After 13 air crew broke quarantine, Sydney health officials will now police... Taiwan snaps world’s longest covid-free streak after pilot infects local re... U.S. officials debate travel bans as coronavirus variant spreads in Britain, Why Congress finally passed a coronavirus relief bill. "Our vision is to leverage and manage diversity and inclusion beyond the traditional methods of counting groups of people. of Education Since 2008, Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report have both ranked it the number-one high school in the country three times. They made up 70 percent of the students admitted to this year’s freshman class. Jefferson's programs for high school students provide a chance to explore future careers and an understanding of different health professions. The acceptance rate this spring at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, a selective magnet school outside Washington, D.C., was just 15 percent—a touch lower than at nearby Georgetown University. s. They made up 70 percent of the students admitted to this year’s freshman It is “a community of overachievers who inspire and support each other in their pursuit of STEM education,” he said. FCPS’s school profile for Thomas Jefferson, during the entire 2019-2020 school year, showed the following demographic breakdown at the institution: 71.5% … Learn About Diversity at Thomas Jefferson University, and how it is Similar to Other Schools in the U.S.. Parental Involvement is Key to Student Success, The 15 Biggest Failures of the American Public Education System, Reading/Language Arts Test Scores (% Proficient), Preparing for a Fashion Career through Public High School Classes, Pepper Spray at School: From Lawsuits to Hospitalizations. The diversity score of Thomas Jefferson High School is 0.71, which is more than the diversity score at state average of 0.60 . Jason Pan, a lawyer who graduated from Jefferson in 2005, told me that he thought more analysis was needed on whether the lottery would select the most motivated and prepared applicants from the pool. Thomas Jefferson High School placed in the bottom 50% of all schools in Washington for overall test scores (math proficiency is bottom 50%, and reading proficiency is top 50%) for the 2017-18 school year. We are taking a total system approach where ‘reimagining’ diversity and inclusion becomes our reality." Pros and Cons of Sports Competition at the High School Level. The district’s report shows that if it had been used when this year’s freshman class was chosen, 7 percent of the admittees would have been Black, 8 percent Hispanic and 10.3 percent low-income. Source: 2017-2018 (latest school year available) NCES, WA Dept. Many talented students see no reason to abandon their middle school friends for the Jefferson pressure cooker. The AP® participation rate at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is 100%. If anything, it hurts, according to a 2001 study of nearly 1.2 million U.S. students by sociologist Paul Attewell. Reviews should be a few sentences in length. Learn about pepper spray prevalence, from being used to discipline students to a self-defense measure against bullies. | Students! The teacher population of 78 teachers has declined by 6% over five school years. The children are sadly caught in the crossfire between CPS and the Union, and how will this strike impact the education of Chicago school students? It is an atypical place. Pan said he worried that rushing through reforms might impact what he called the “secret sauce” of Jefferson. The leadership of the Northern Virginia school district is embarrassed to have a public high school where only 1.7 percent of the students are low-income and only 5 percent are Black or Hispanic. Stephen K. Klasko, MD, MBA. Maybe so, but the new plan is likely to make the place more welcome to all ethnic groups, which I think is a plus. The Falls Church School Board (FCSB) voted unanimously on Tuesday to rename Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and George Mason High School because of the namesakes owning slaves when they were alive. I told him that I thought applying showed motivation and that Jefferson teachers could get any student with a 3.5 average up to speed. They list six previous attempts at reform: a new outreach specialist position in 2011, a holistic review (that means looking at the whole kid) in 2013, lower minimum semifinalist requirements in 2014, a new problem-solving essay in 2015, cutting back the outreach specialist to a half-time position in 2016 and new admission tests in 2017. In my annual data-collecting since 1996, Jefferson has usually had the highest SAT score average for any U.S. school, public or private. Thomas Jefferson High School, a governor's school for science and technology, will have a new admissions policy for the class of 2025. If it doesn’t work, Jefferson can try something else, as it has before. I like the lottery idea. Thomas Jefferson High School serves 1,703 students in grades 9-12. Their next attempt is a drastic step. I’ve never spent so much time with my kids, and it’s won... Health and wellness coaches are fairly new. ... of two apparent racially motivated student brawls at Thomas Jefferson ... [+] High School April 21 ... about $13,500 to rename Thomas Jefferson Middle School. Thomas Jefferson High School is ranked within the bottom 50% of all 2,039 schools in Washington (based off of combined math and reading proficiency testing data) for the 2017-18 school year. Your review will be checked according to our submission guidelines and posted within a few days. Now guilt and relief mix as the U.S. co... 51 lost lives: A portrait of the pandemic’s tragic toll in America’s nursin... I’m a working dad. Leading the Way To Change Posted 12/12/2020 by Trinity Doublin TJ’s Interact Club and Black Student Alliance teamed up in a T-shirt campaign to raise money for racial equality. Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology is under scrutiny for accepting only a few African American students and not reflecting the area’s demographics. How has the pandemic affected how you’ll pay for college. Diversity & Inclusion. The school is routinely ranked among the top high school’s in the nation, and many families plan their children’s educational careers around gaining acceptance to Thomas Jefferson. But relatively few see a need for their kids to understand quantum mechanics or Euler’s Identity. My theory, for which I have no data, is that this is because Asian American parents have a respect for math and science courses and careers far above average for this country. The total minority enrollment is 99%, and 78% of students are economically disadvantaged. Thomas Jefferson High School will address academic engagement through student-centered strategies, social-emotional engagement through restorative practices, and community engagement through constructive dialogue and inclusive events that elevate the overall quality of life in our surrounding neighborhoods. Lotteries to pick students are usually employed only by the most popular public charter schools in places like D.C., where many Northern Virginians would never send their children to school. For teens interested in a career in fashion, public high schools may be the place to start! at Jefferson. Jefferson will rank very high on that scale no matter what admission system the county School Board approves. The Fairfax County School Board has voted to change the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) to a holistic review to improve diversity at the school. The school board of Falls Church, Virginia this week decided to rename Thomas Jefferson Elementary School and George Mason High School, which were both named after prominent Virginians who owned slaves during their lives. Tell us the story of how schools are reopening. Minority enrollment is 74% of the student body (majority Hispanic and Asian), which is higher than the Washington state average of 46% (majority Hispanic and Asian). Then they want to choose the lucky winners in Fairfax County and four other participating districts based not on entrance test results, teacher recommendations and other quality measures — as they did before — but on random lotteries. Students! By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, Discussion of news topics with a point of view, including narratives by individuals regarding their own experiences, Half-measures won’t protect us from the new covid-19 variant. In Jefferson’s class of 2000, 91 students applied to Harvard. Hispanics, who make up 27 percent of Fairfax students, would still be underrepresented, as would low-income students, 29 percent. Pressure Mounts on Return to School in Fairfax County; Call to Action from TJHSST Principal; Thomas Jefferson Class of 2019: 70% Asian, 1.6% Black; … Parents, guardians and teachers, how is school reopening going for you? Most U.S. parents want their children to get jobs that they enjoy and will pay the bills. Mission. There are 1,800 students at one of the best high schools in America, and thousands more vying to get in. Superintendent Scott S. Brabrand has presented recommendations to the Fairfax County School Board to revise the admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), the governor’s regional school, in order to promote access to historically underserved students. By Emily Leayman , Patch Staff Dec 18, 2020 1:20 p m ET If Northern Virginia high schools not named Jefferson have great courses, and if students with 3.5 GPAs are able to handle the magnet’s demands, why not pick names of smart eighth-graders out of a hat? We want to hear from you: Parents, guardians and teachers, how is school reopening going for you? Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST) 6560 Braddock Rd, Alexandria, VA 22312 703-750-8300 Attending a magnet high school does not enhance your chances of getting into an ultra-selective college. The total minority enrollment is 79%, and 2% of students are economically disadvantaged. Fairfax County school administrators have a daring proposal to change the school’s admission system. The Fairfax County School Board has voted to change the admissions policy for Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology to a holistic review to improve diversity at the school. There is no evidence that Jefferson teachers on average are better than those elsewhere in Northern Virginia. Thomas Jefferson High School's student population of 1,703 students has declined by 6% over five school years. 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