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Exam Schools: Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools
An in-depth look at academically selective public high schools in America
What is the best education for exceptionally able and high-achieving youngsters? Can the United States strengthen its future intellectual leadership, economic vitality, and scientific prowess without sacrificing equal opportunity? There are no easy answers but, as Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett show, for more than 100,000 students each year, the solution is to enroll in an academically selective public high school. Exam Schools is the first-ever close-up look at this small, sometimes controversial, yet crucial segment of American public education. This groundbreaking book discusses how these schools work--and their critical role in nurturing the country's brightest students.
The 165 schools identified by Finn and Hockett are located in thirty states, plus the District of Columbia. While some are world renowned, such as Boston Latin and Bronx Science, others are known only in their own communities. The authors survey the schools on issues ranging from admissions and student diversity to teacher selection. They probe sources of political support, curriculum, instructional styles, educational effectiveness, and institutional autonomy. Some of their findings are Los Angeles, for example, has no "exam schools" while New York City has dozens. Asian-American students are overrepresented―but so are African-American pupils. Culminating with in-depth profiles of eleven exam schools and thoughtful reflection on policy implications, Finn and Hockett ultimately consider whether the country would be better off with more such schools.
At a time of keen attention to the faltering education system, Exam Schools sheds positive light on a group of schools that could well provide a transformative roadmap for many of America's children.
What is the best education for exceptionally able and high-achieving youngsters? Can the United States strengthen its future intellectual leadership, economic vitality, and scientific prowess without sacrificing equal opportunity? There are no easy answers but, as Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett show, for more than 100,000 students each year, the solution is to enroll in an academically selective public high school. Exam Schools is the first-ever close-up look at this small, sometimes controversial, yet crucial segment of American public education. This groundbreaking book discusses how these schools work--and their critical role in nurturing the country's brightest students.
The 165 schools identified by Finn and Hockett are located in thirty states, plus the District of Columbia. While some are world renowned, such as Boston Latin and Bronx Science, others are known only in their own communities. The authors survey the schools on issues ranging from admissions and student diversity to teacher selection. They probe sources of political support, curriculum, instructional styles, educational effectiveness, and institutional autonomy. Some of their findings are Los Angeles, for example, has no "exam schools" while New York City has dozens. Asian-American students are overrepresented―but so are African-American pupils. Culminating with in-depth profiles of eleven exam schools and thoughtful reflection on policy implications, Finn and Hockett ultimately consider whether the country would be better off with more such schools.
At a time of keen attention to the faltering education system, Exam Schools sheds positive light on a group of schools that could well provide a transformative roadmap for many of America's children.
- GenresEducationNonfiction
264 pages, Hardcover
First published September 16, 2012
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34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 26, 2019
Disappointed that there was little discussion of the curriculum. For example, there was no information on whether the following topics were studied: (a) the 1947 partition of India, (b) Confucianism, (c) neuroplasticity, (d) cognitive behavioral therapy, (e) contrapuntal music, (f) the Meiji Restoration, (g) diabetes, (h) the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The primary concern of the exam schools seems to be to increase the student's probability of scoring well on college entrance exams, rather than educating them about the world.
March 21, 2016
This book describes public high schools that are able to select high-achieving students and thus (usually) have a high-achieving student body. Most of the book is made up of profiles of individual schools; however, the authors do have some general comments at the beginning and the end. Some readers might be surprised to know how diverse these schools are: the average "exam school" is 30 percent black and 13 percent Hispanic, and 30 percent of them are majority black.
I think the book would have benefitted from some deeper analysis. For example, urban exam schools clearly achieve better results than the typical urban school- but how do they compare to suburban public schools, or urban private and charter schools? Some exam schools (including one in Louisville profiled in this book) do not have very good test scores- why not?
December 2, 2012
Interesting book. It seems to be written for school administrators more so than for parents. If you don't have an exam school near you then there is not really any point in reading it except to know that these really wonderful public schools exist. Good information and interesting data collection and assessment of public schools across the U.S. which use academic standards for admission.
June 19, 2016
Great look at what we should do with the kids who are neglected the most in public schools: the gifted and talented, those who go above and beyond and are sometimes forgotten.
January 12, 2013
Read the part about my school. Didn't say all that much I didn't know.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews