Statement Regarding Media Coverage:
We believe the report stands on its own and urge everyone to read it closely to inform your own personal opinions about issues raised.
Please also see a statement from HSA President Mitchell Orenstein on our home page. Thank you.
We believe the report stands on its own and urge everyone to read it closely to inform your own personal opinions about issues raised.
Please also see a statement from HSA President Mitchell Orenstein on our home page. Thank you.
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One purpose of the HSA, as defined in our bylaws, is to provide a forum for parents to have a voice in matters relating to the administration and conduct of the school and school-related affairs.
When the current HSA Board came into office in November 2022, we began documenting the many changes and challenges facing Masterman. A Report on the Status of Julia R. Masterman Laboratory and Demonstration School: Effects of Recent School District of Philadelphia School Selection and Other Changes reflects community concerns raised at HSA meetings, at coffee chats, and from hundreds of written comments (400+ printed pages) submitted through various community surveys. More than 30 members of our community contributed in various ways to the creation of this report. The HSA Board of 12 members voted unanimously to release the resulting report. The recommendations in the report were developed by the HSA Board and also were informed by conversations with administration in an effort to gain consensus around some of the main recommendations. One primary recommendation (see page 48) is to end the randomized admissions process and restore human judgment to admissions, preferably with a designated admissions officer and/or committee following best practices to improve diversity, and student choice and fit. The current randomized admissions process failed in its objectives regarding diversity at Masterman (see page 11-15) and failed our children, those leaving Masterman and those newly accepted, in placing many of them in schools that are not the right fit for them. It should be ended. The District should return admission decisions to the schools and hire a dedicated, full-time Admissions Officer to systematically court the most able students of every demographic from across the city. We have done our best to represent the array of views in our community about topics that are nuanced and complex. We welcome all comments and suggestions on the report and the process. We thank you for your engagement, The HSA Board |
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