Reply to TJ admissions decision - repercussions for Class of 2026

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]NP with a senior.  Yes, all of this drama and division has had an impact on the school experience for students.[/quote]

How so?[/quote]

My kid didn't take prep classes so I have no idea what the PP is talking about with releasing names of kids.

For my kid, the school he loved was attacked by the superintendent and school board members as having a toxic culture in need of change.  The principal told all families to "check their privilege."  The school board engaged in lots of meetings and changes [b]without ever asking TJ kids or families their opinion[/b].  They expressed a lot of disdain for the kids at the school.

Then, nuts took over the PTSA and turned a very supportive organization into some sort of political hatchet.

And, the school continues to be the focus of right wing media and mainstream publications like the NY Times.

It has taken its toll on what was previously a wonderful school experience for him.[/quote]

I greatly appreciate your input on this. It's really helpful.

I will say - it's been my experience that the students at TJ, while they love many things about the school, generally agree that the culture of comparison and hyper-competitiveness is really problematic, and the word that they use the most is indeed "toxic". What they don't seem to understand is that much of the competitiveness comes from too many of them trying to travel the same path to get to the same goal (elite college admissions through optimization of STEM profile) when there are several paths available to get there. That issue is NOT a function of race, but is instead a function of a TJ admissions process that for too many years incentivized parents to follow a very narrow and extremely STEM-centered path to get to TJ.

Yes, TJ is a highly STEM-focused school, but when the focus of the admissions process is so narrow (let's be honest, if you wanted to get in the best path was exceptional exam scores and a litany of STEM ECs) what you unfortunately get is a ton of students who give up some of their passions during a very formative time (middle school) in order to optimize their TJ application. That reality has the twin effects of homogenizing the TJ population (again, not by race, but by willingness to streamline in middle school) and of kneecapping the passions of hundreds of 10, 11, and 12 year old children.

I don't see where either population (TJ or middle school kids in NoVa) are helped by that process. [/quote]

Many if not most of the TJ students have parents who work in STEM.  Why do you think they don't have a passion for STEM?  There may be a few students who have been forced into TJ but you will find that by the time they are freshmen, it is a genuine interest.  These are not the type of kids who want to be actors or athletes.[/quote]

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