LCPS Commits to Change
The Academies of Loudoun is the magnet program for Loudoun students specializing in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They offer advanced coursework to students who are admitted, based on which program they attend: Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), Academy of Science (AOS) and Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA). Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
On Monday, Feb. 18, Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) committed to revamping their admissions policy for the Academies of Loudoun in an attempt to promote equal opportunity amongst the applicant pool. This comes in response to an official complaint from the Loudoun branch of the NAACP alleging systemic discrimination in the admissions system in May 2019 and Virginia Attorney-General Mark Herring’s ensuing inquiry through the Office of Civil Rights. The final resolution is a result of a months-long negotiation between LCPS and the Office of Civil Rights.
The Academies of Loudoun is the magnet program for Loudoun students specializing in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. They offer advanced coursework to students who are admitted, based on which program they attend: Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET), Academy of Science (AOS) and Monroe Advanced Technical Academy (MATA).
Their mission page proclaims that “Diversity in our community makes us stronger and better equipped to work together. [Including] representation of students from diverse backgrounds, including race/ethnicity, gender, disability, English Learner and socioeconomic status, and students from all geographic areas of Loudoun County who demonstrate a desire to be challenged by advanced academic coursework and collaborative research.”
According to the Washington Post, there were only seven Black students enrolled in AET out of the 650 students; at AOS, of 365 students, six were Black. Across Loudoun county, 7% of students are Black and 6% are of mixed-race. The gap is disproportionate.
According to the program’s website, the admissions panel does not have the applicants’ demographic background, which, Loudoun NAACP president Michelle Thomas said, was a problem as officers could not account for external factors that may have affected a student’s concrete scores.
The reason behind the disparity may partly lay in the applicant pool; the Loudoun NAACP found that Black students were less likely to be identified as gifted and talented in elementary school, which would later mobilize them to more challenging classes. “I submit that your pipeline is your issue,” said Thomas, LoudounNow reported.
Amongst others, one of the key commitments listed in the LCPS’s resolution is to intensify outreach to Black and Hispanic students in middle schools so more students — who previously may not have known they were even eligible — would apply.
Additionally, LCPS is in the process of revising discipline policies committed to hiring a third party to monitor the district’s adherence to the outlined revisions.
“Discrimination has no place in Virginia, but especially not within our school systems,” said Herring. “Our children deserve equal access to a quality education no matter what they look like or where they live.”
