Last evening, the San Francisco school board voted to end merit-based admission to Lowell High School. The nationally-recognized public school offers a rigorous, college-preparatory education for free. I am immensely proud of my own four years at there. As a poor, first-generation immigrant living in San Francisco, Lowell was the only chance to study at private school-like learning institution.
I'm just sad that it will no longer be the case for future kids like myself. Sure, students from rich families can go to an actual private school. But the smart kids from non-affluent backgrounds lost a golden opportunity at something otherwise reserved for the wealthy.
And I thought we were trying to narrow the wealth gap.
The school board eliminated the Lowell meritocracy in the name of “equality” and “racial justice”. The ethnic composition of the Lowell student body has been a sore-spot for the district for as long as I can remember. Confusing equality of outcome with equality of opportunity, the powers at be saw the low Latino and Black enrollment at Lowell as something inherently prejudicial. Because us Asians don’t count as a true minority in the educational arena.
Instead of solving the problem at the cause - by providing way more resources to schools in underserved, low-income neighborhoods - the school board went about rejiggering the numbers by sheer manipulation. I don’t like the outcome, so let’s get rid of it! They leveled the playing field by lowering the standards, rather than working to bring those behind up to the same standards. All to feel better about themselves for a symbolic job well done.
Turning Lowell into any other high school in the city will do nothing for the education gap. It only does to take away an opportunity for kids from impoverished families to get a top-notch education, one that doesn’t require money to buy. A very sad day indeed.
Evening walks.
