The debate about how to respond to an expected increase in enrollment at New Trier Township High School has been noteworthy for anecdotal accounts by former students about the excellence of their education at the now-closed West campus and the conviction that children would receive a better education at a smaller school.
Not mentioned, however, is a fact senior New Trier high school administrators have known for at least two years and board of education members have learned more recently: that the verbal and math SAT scores of students at the West campus were not only considerably below those of their East counterparts but were closer to national scores. Since this has never been disclosed to the community, West alumni and taxpayers have assumed that student outcomes were identical at both campuses and would be again if the West campus reopens.
An administrator, in explaining possible reasons for the disparity in SAT scores, said that when New Trier opened its West campus in 1965, a significant number of senior faculty chose to stay at East. Assignments of faculty were made on a “voluntary” basis, with seniority playing a large role.
Because the results of the SAT exams were not disclosed to the public at the time, no one knew to ask for an explanation of the disparity, which, in turn, might have revealed how teachers were being assigned.
A representative of the teachers union told me that if voters in November approve the “1-3 option,” which would put all freshman at the West campus, the assignment of faculty would be the subject of contract negotiations. If past is prologue, this fact bears directly on the quality of teaching at a reopened West campus. But again, this has never been raised in any of the debates about the future of New Trier.
Further complicating the debate is the unspoken assumption by many residents that equates excellence with the amount of taxpayer dollars expended. Over the last three decades, New Trier’s per-pupil spending has increased at a rate almost three times greater than the consumer price index. For many residents, this is not a matter of concern but rather is seen as a tangible indicator of progress. By comparison, the wide disparity in scores at the two campus is confusing history.
When baseball’s Mark McGwire steps to the plate, he keeps one eye on the ball and the other on the achievement of Roger Maris in 1961 when he hit 61 homers. Maris’ record is a standard by which all performers since have been judged. When it comes to academic achievement, why should we settle for less?
More Top Picks Desktops