The U.S. Supreme Court refused to pause Thomas Jefferson High School’s race-based admissions policy that, in the words of activist mom and journalist Asra Nomani, is “destroying the school’s culture and excellence.” The ruling means that the policy, which replaces admissions based on tests, will remain in effect at least one more year while litigation continues. The Federalist has her take on the ruling here.
The school still ranks No. 1 in the latest U.S. News & World-Report ranking of the top high schools in the nation. But Nomani questions how long it can hold on to its lofty reputation. As noted in the previous Bacon’s Rebellion post, TJ’s freshman class this year had weaker math backgrounds than previous classes. Despite a ramp-up in tutoring for struggling students, the number of dropouts, though relatively small, is up significantly this year.
“According to people familiar with the school, the situation has become so bad the principal has instructed counselors to connect her with students considering leaving the school, so she can meet with them and keep her numbers down, something she didn’t do regularly before,” writes Nomani.
Says an anonymous source for Nomani’s story: “Our country’s No. 1 school has become the Titanic.”
— JAB
