MERITOCRACY OR MEDIOCRITY
When I was in elementary school at PS 79 in the Bronx, there were three sixth-grade classes, and we all knew what that meant. We were the “smart class,” next came the middle kids and finally the lowest level. It couldn’t be hidden or glossed over; we were tracked.
In our class was Charles Brooks. Charles was a bit rotund, with a ruddy complexion, a smattering of freckles, and light brown hair. He wore grown-up men’s shoes with dozens of decorative little holes. He also had metal plates in his shoes, which somehow added to his outlier mystique. Charles was the smartest kid in the smartest class by a very wide margin. Charles was even smarter than my best friend Stevie, who later became a physician. On a number of occasions, I heard my mother speaking to friends on the phone in what I silently dubbed, “the housewives’ grapevine.” The gist of her conversations was that “the kids resent Charles because he’s so smart.” But mom was wrong; I didn’t resent Charles at all. None of us did. We recognized his talent.
Many years later, in a long nostalgic letter, my dad referred to “your competition with Charles.” But dad was also wrong. I didn’t compete with Charles; it would be like competing with Einstein in math.
Ronald DeFeo, another kid in our class was a born artist. I always tried to get him as social studies report partner. Pairs of kids researched subjects and presented to the class, along with maps, charts, dioramas or pictures. When Ronald and I were reporting on rubber production, I said, “Hey Ronald, why don’t you draw a street scene with lots of rubber things.” I watched in awe as he took out his soft lead pencil and drew a street with rubber bike wheels, car tires, rubbers on our shoes, rubber raincoats, ducks and a variety of balls.
I didn’t resent Ronald, either.
Why did I bring this up from my pre-historic past? Because of the brouhaha in Fairfax County, Virginia, last year. High school students who had won Merit scholarships and commendations, were not informed in time for them to put these academic honors on their college applications. Parents were incensed.
Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology apologized, admitting their mistake, and initially blamed the delay on "a unique situation due to human error." However, it was neither unique nor an error. Sixteen schools in the area were also late. It had to be collusion. Parents of winners claimed that school officials did not want the nonwinners to “feel bad,” as one annoyed parent put it. The non-winners were surely disappointed, but that does not justify withholding information from winners who could have used the Merit recognition on their college applications and on other scholarships.
So why did the Fairfax School Board do it? Virginia’s Attorney General, Jayson Miyares explained that the school district hired an “equity consultant,” for $455,000 for nine months of work. The consultant suggested their goal should be “an equal outcome for every student. Without exception…even if that meant being purposely unequal.”
I’m not sure if even Charles could have made sense of that, but I’ll give it a try: treat people unequally in order to achieve equal outcomes. Or - teach to the lowest common denominator to get equal outcomes; the result will be an equality of mediocrity.
In 2024, the Merit scholarship people expect to start with over 1.3 million entrants culled to 50,000 and then to a pool of 16,000 “academically talented” semi-finalists who will represent less than one percent of each state’s high school seniors. The 2024 semifinalists’ names were announced last September, providing plenty of advanced notice. Ultimately, only about 7,140 National Merit Scholarships will be offered in 2024.
The 1.3 million were excellent students, but not excellent enough. The key operating word is “merit.” In a meritocracy, free, objective and honest competition lead to the fairest results. They do not pay equity consultants $455,000 to force equal outcomes “for every student. Without exception.” They understand that equality of opportunity is desirable, but equality of outcome is biologically and psychologically impossible. It can only be achieved through coercion or dishonesty. There is no other way.
The Fairfax educational establishment didn’t want to upset the snowflakes who didn’t win. But they were okay with negatively impacting the winners’ lives.
The choice we face today is between meritocracy and mediocrity. Today’s Merit Scholarship “losers” are no more likely to resent winners as Stevie and me resenting Charles.
My fee for this advice is a bargain at $399,000. Thank you very much.