Perspective: Merit and Its Discontents
Is merit debatable? It depends on how it’s defined. If merit is worthiness that was earned through excellence—and objective criteria were used uniformly to measure those traits or skills, then there’s little room for debate, NANDINI PATWARDHAN says, because everybody loses when merit is devalued.
There are many high schools across the U.S. that emphasize STEM learning. They require that admitted students have a high level of mastery in science and math. Entrance exams are used in order to identify students who are well prepared to benefit from the enhanced curriculum and learning environment in these schools.
Recently there has been a move towards scrapping these entrance exams. The argument is that the schools have a racial mix that does not reflect the racial diversity of the cities in which the schools are located. This disparity is seen as a form of injustice as students of color (in this argument, Asians are not seen as persons of color) are grossly underrepresented in these high schools. This tweet by a member of the San Francisco school board illustrates this thinking:
“When we’re talking about . . . meritocracy, especially meritocracy based on standardized testing, I’m just going to say it, in this day and age we can’t mince words, those are racist systems. If you’re going to say that merit is fair, it’s the antithesis of fair, and it’s the antithesis of just.”
My mind flashed back a quarter-century when I first encountered the same type of resistance to merit. The year was 1997 and I was living in a small and decidedly middle-class New England town. I attended the graduation ceremony at my daughter’s elementary school. In the style of such celebrations, the principal and some of the teachers gave encouraging speeches. A few students performed musical ensembles. Attended by parents and doting grandparents, it was a lighthearted and hope-filled gathering.
All manner of awards and certificates were handed out, ranging from perfect attendance to best in sports and participation in a class play. The students who had shown the most improvement were acknowledged, as were students who had excelled in art. However, the event came to an end and no awards had been given to the top students in each class, or the students who had achieved the best scores in academic subjects such as mathematics, science and language arts. I felt something was not right about a school, where children went to learn, that would not honor and celebrate the best learners.
I had become a U.S. citizen a year earlier. Until taking that momentous step, even though over a decade had passed since I moved here, I had considered myself a novice, a student of American society and its norms. In particular, I had focused my attention on understanding the context and philosophy of American K-12 education. Mindful of the need to help my children navigate the differences between our home culture and their peer culture, I had eschewed focusing, tiger mom-like, on their grades. I wanted to ensure my children’s social self-confidence and emotional well-being.
Having grown up in the hyper-competitive pressure cooker that was Indian education, I had doubts about the efficacy of that type of value system. I had observed that that approach often suppressed the development of wide-ranging curiosity and a lively personality. Whereas this made sense in a society that suffered from a scarcity of resources, opportunities and second chances, I believed that in America there was not a need to exert the same pressures on my children. Indeed, I believed that doing so would be counter-productive. I would inadvertently shut them out of the creativity and wide-ranging cultivation of all their talents that were their birthright as Americans. After all, the proof was in the pudding — America was at the forefront of a range of technological advances and, in my view, this was irrefutable proof that Americans were doing something right.
Finally, until I became a U.S. citizen, I had believed that I did not have the right to question how things were done. I was just an expat — a temporary resident who was a participant in a transactional economic relationship.
I was surprised by how strongly I felt that the graduation ceremony had ill-served the achievers in the graduating class. All through the evening, my mind kept returning to this issue. I played devil’s advocate, trying to persuade myself that my objections were not completely valid, that I was overlooking some more compelling argument, and that there was a deeper justification for how things were being done. However, I failed in this exercise. I kept coming up with more reasons to register a protest because something unfair had taken place that afternoon. I decided that as a citizen and as an engaged and sufficiently informed parent (who had done her homework), I had the imperative and the right to weigh in.
“I was surprised that there were no awards for academic excellence,” I told the school principal the next day. “If the primary purpose of sending kids to school is educating them in the three R’s, shouldn’t we be recognizing and honoring the kids who excel at that?”
“I agree with you,” he said.
“Please understand,” I continued, “I am not concerned that my daughter did not get an award or honor. I don’t even know where she stands relative to her peers. I am more concerned about the philosophy.”
The principal responded, “Actually, until a few years ago, we used to recognize high-achieving students. But then the next morning I would have parents in my office complaining about why their child had been excluded from some list or the other.”
Clearly, there were parents who found it easier to insist that the school suppress or ignore the high achievement of its star students. They were either unwilling or unable to help their own children achieve their highest potential. They were unwilling or unable to explain to their children the connection between persevering and achieving their personal best. They were unable or unwilling to hold their children accountable for their academic performance, especially in cases where the children “felt bad” about not receiving academic honors. Strangest of all, given that the vocal parents protested only the academic awards, it was clear that on some level they did understand that those were the awards that really mattered. On the flip side, the school authorities had taken the path of least resistance. They had folded when faced with a mob of irrationally angry parents. They had not bothered to explain to the parents how misguided they were and why recognizing high-achieving students mattered. They had not offered extra help (and commensurate new awards) to students who were willing to put in the work to improve their academic performance.
I thanked the principal for listening to me and for offering a clarification of sorts. Even though the explanation offered did not alter the situation in any way, I was glad that I had made myself heard. I had gained some understanding, albeit not a pleasant one.
* * *
The damage that the lack of recognition does to high-achieving students goes far beyond the bruised egos of a handful of ten-year-olds. The lack creates a culture that devalues academic prowess as well as hard work. In contrast, students who spend hours playing competitive sports are treated as heroes; their talents, as well as perseverance, are recognized. The entire student body subtly gets the message that academic achievement does not matter, that academic achievers are uncool nerds (and what pre-teen wants to be labeled that?) and that style will always win out over substance.
Over time, and unfortunately in their most formative years, the kids internalize a message that is the most detrimental to their current as well as future achievement. Getting a “B” or “B-” grade is “good enough,” even if the student has the potential to achieve an “A” with a little more effort. Only the hardiest of souls persevere at academic excellence in such a discouraging atmosphere.
For the rest, much is lost: a strong work ethic, stamina, perseverance, the discipline to resist distractions, and the ability to dream big dreams. It is no surprise that I sometimes had to work hard to get my children to understand that academic excellence was worth pursuing.
This is what I would like to say to those who are tearing down merit-based admissions to schools and, increasingly, colleges:
- Devote more resources, and do so earlier, to helping students who wish to attend selective high schools. Help them master the subjects so that they can ace those admission tests.
- A selective school does not become elite because of its physical architecture or location. It becomes elite because it assembles elite students. So, simply admitting insufficiently prepared students to an elite school will not magically improve such students’ performance.
- Students who pass the admission test are those who learn well and are quicker than “ordinary” students. They are able to handle challenging assignments. They are willing to put in the hard work necessary to master the content. Adding students to the mix who have fewer of these traits does not serve the interests of such students. If anything, there is a risk that they will struggle or fall behind.
- Invite STEM professionals to mentor and tutor students who show promise and the motivation necessary for passing the selective test.
- Admitting promising students to a school that will nurture their talents is not a reward. It is an investment — in the future of our country. Original thinkers and hard workers become innovators. So we must nurture such students.
- Educators in other countries, less hampered by esoteric definitions of merit, reward and justice, freely institute policies that develop the talents of their most promising students. If we expect to hold our own in the global marketplace of ideas and innovation, we must make sure to nurture our most promising youngsters.
- Elite high schools should not be a scarce resource. Establish an elite cadre in ALL high schools. Establish similar elite cadres in all elementary and middle schools as feeders to the elite high schools.
Many conscientious parents focus on making sure their child has good study skills and a strong academic foundation. That is well and good. However, the time has come for parents to take a more active role in understanding the educational environment, to keep informed about developments in their child’s school and in the school system. By forming alliances with other engaged parents, they need to ensure that their voices are heard and their children’s interests are protected. It is important to uphold merit because everyone loses when merit is devalued.
Nandini Patwardhan’s biography of Dr. Anandi-bai Joshee, the first Indian woman who became a doctor, was published last year by Story Artisan Press, which she co-founded. She lives in California. To comment on this story, please write to letters@khabar.com.
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