The EDGE Computer Journals this summer have been compiled by the gifted high school students Roger Kuo, Terisa Chen, and Trindell Major working under the NASA SHARP PLUS Program. As they have been entering the papers into the website, they have reviewed the contents with their own experiences. We've asked them to add papers of their own experiences in Journal II "Our Schools Our Children."
In the middle of my 8th grade year, my world history teacher posed an interesting proposition. She held a brochure for the Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, a unique Richmond metropolitan school offering a comprehensive college preparatory program for Grades 9 - 12, emphasizing government, international studies, world cultures, and languages. According to the brochure, the school “[served] students on the basis of aptitude and interest in the areas above, and who [intended] to pursue college preparation in related fields.” The school also was established as a “result of a regional cooperative effort of sixteen school divisions to improve education in government and international studies.” All of that seemed very high and mighty, but nonetheless, I was skeptical about entering a magnet school. What if the environment was so academic oriented that there would be little room for anything else? What if the curriculum was so constricting that I would not have the freedom to take any courses that really interested me? All of these questions were swimming through my mind. But after three years of attending the Governor’s School, I have come to realize that the academic and social atmosphere of the Governor’s School is much better than that offered at a public school.
One advantage I have noticed that magnet schools have over typical public schools is that magnet schools provide an atmosphere more appropriate for college-bound students. Coming from a public middle school, I found myself hanging out with students that were not college bound – these students did not exactly have the most impressive grades, and they had little motivation to strive for anything better. Since environment has a tremendous impact on a person, I found myself caring less and less about academics and more about “fitting in” and “being cool.” Upon entering the Governor’s School, however, I became much more academic oriented. All of my peers were very ambitious and eager to learn, and feeding off their energy, I became more involved in learning. One of the greatest fears that gifted students might have in public schools is achieving too much academically. People that do so are often labeled as “nerds” and “goodie-goodie’s.” But in magnet schools, peers tend to appreciate academic success, which makes a more nurturing environment that encourages even more academic growth.
The tremendous amount of achievement the school has earned gives some feel as to how academic oriented the atmosphere is. One hundred percent of the 114 graduates of 1998 went on to some form of higher education, the majority (about 99% of the class) to four year colleges and universities. Graduates were awarded $2,808,899 in scholarships and included 14 National Merit semi-finalists, 11 National Merit finalists, 11 AP Scholars and many other outstanding awards. The 1998 SAT I profile of Governor's School seniors shows an average verbal score of 665 compared to 507 for the state and 505 for the national averages. The trend continues with a GSGIS score of 625 for math compared to 499 for the state and 512 for the nation. Combined SAT I scores were 1290 for GSGIS to 1006 for Virginia and 1017 for the nation.
The academic opportunities at magnets schools are also tremendously greater. The theme of the school is a bit of a misnomer because the Governor’s School offers more than 190 courses in all disciplines, not just the social sciences. All courses are honors level or above. Students also have the opportunity to take up 18 advanced placement (AP) classes ranging anywhere from chemistry and physics to economics and history. If I had went to my regular public high school – Godwin High School – I could only take up to 5 advanced placement courses, which is a dramatic difference. On top of that, the Governor’s School has a partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), a local state-funded institution. The partnership allows students to take college courses and have access to university resources. In 1998-99, the 360 enrollments in 23 three-credit dual VCU/GSGIS classes earned students 1,062 hours of college credit. Godwin High School does not have a program that even closely resembles this.
It should come as no surprise that the academic experience at magnet schools is far better, but many question the social aspect. However, I would argue that the social aspect of magnet schools is also far greater. One example is the sports scene at the Governor’s School. Since the school selects students mainly on an academic basis, one would not expect that the Governor’s School would be competitive in sports. However, Governor’s School athletic teams are always considered contenders. Up against schools much larger than itself, the boys' volleyball team was co-champion of the Colonial District with one student named player of the year. Cross country and track teams have won state titles consistently, and have continued to win national recognition. On top of that, Governor’s School sports are unique in that they do not have “cuts.” This allows all students to harbor their interests in a particular sport even if they are not very good at it. I can clearly remember my public school years when I tried out for the tennis team. I had a tremendous interest in it, but I was not very good, and so I was cut from the team. Thus at a public school, I was not given the opportunity to explore my interest in tennis. At the Governor’s School, however, I was given that opportunity, and as a result, I have become quite skillful.
Aside from sports, the clubs at the Governor’s School also make the social atmosphere better. Governor’s School has some of the most unique clubs. For example, Pugwash is a club that strives to promote the socially responsible application of science and technology in the 21st century. There are only a handful of high school Pugwash chapters in the entire nation, and the Governor’s School is fortunate to house one of them. I have become very active in Pugwash, and if I had went to my regular public high school, then this would not have been possible. Moreover, magnet schools are unique in that students can create new clubs very easily. In the case of public schools, students have to go through a tremendous amount of paperwork and administrative obstacles. Often, the goal of creating a new club does not get accomplished. Thus, the enormous amount of flexibility for clubs also contributes to the overall social experience.
The social atmosphere is also improved by the diversity at the school. The admissions process is designed to develop an inclusive pool of culturally diverse applicants which reflects the demographics of the participating school divisions. Each school division has a number of positions based on a percentage of their total number of students. The school houses Asian and African American populations of about 10% each. Compared to regular high schools, Governor’s School is far more diverse. During my years in public middle school, I only encountered two to three black students in a class larger than 200.
As it can be seen , the overall experience at magnet schools such as the Governor’s School for Government and International Studies is much better both academically and socially. If more schools such as the Governor’s School were founded, then the American education system would be much better off, and schools would create students that are much more productive, eager, intelligent, and ambitious.