School Maze

The convoluted, high-stakes process of applying to ... public high school?

by Kirstin Lindermayer

[things that are labyrinthine]

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It took exactly one day for Abrigail "Abby" Khon to decide which Philadelphia high school she wanted to attend.

Abby, 14, can still recall specific details from her visit to Science Leadership Academy (SLA), including the date (Oct. 16), the book discussed in English class (The Freedom Writers Diary) and the duration of lunch (a full hour).

For Abby, who would like to become a pharmacist, it didn't hurt that SLA, which opened in September 2006, is a partnership between the School District of Philadelphia and the Franklin Institute. But what really won her over was that it seemed like a place where "everyone gets to know each other," she says.

The tight-knit community reminded Abby of her current school, the Folk Arts-Cultural Treasures Charter School (FACTS), a K-8 public school in Chinatown North with about 400 students, many of whom are of Chinese, Indonesian, Vietnamese or Cambodian descent.

"Our school is more of a family community," says Abby. "Teachers actually try to care."

"I knew I wanted to go [to SLA] for a definite fact," she continues. "I didn't fit in at other schools. Fitting in is a major priority for me."

Choosing a high school was easy enough for Abby. But it was only the first step in a long and complicated process, beginning in October and ending in the last week, that for many students was anything but easy.

The things now being asked of Philadelphia's middle schoolers when they apply to high school — not just getting good grades and taking standardized tests, but writing essays and scheduling interviews — bear a striking resemblance to the college application process.

"It's insane," says Erica Young, who teaches social studies at FACTS. "In some ways, it's more intense than college applications. They have to do so much just to go to high school."

For a long time, Philadelphia had a few special admissions schools, and students who didn't get in would go to their neighborhood high school. In recent years, though, the number of options has expanded. The Philadelphia School District now includes 18 special admission and 14 citywide admission schools. (Special admission schools, such as Central and SLA, generally set the admissions bar higher than citywide admission schools, such as Constitution or Dobbins Tech.) There are also more than 20 charter high schools in Philly, specializing in everything from college prep to electrical work.

Students can apply to a maximum of five district high schools, and as many charters as they like. If a student chooses not to apply — or if she's rejected by her top five schools — she can still attend her neighborhood high school.

The additional choices have been a welcome change for many families. But the process of choosing and applying to high schools has become both complex and high pressure — especially when you throw in the fact that many don't see the district's 31 neighborhood high schools as viable options.

For some FACTS students, "Their neighborhood school is unfortunately just not a very good option, safety-wise or academically," says Young.

Meredith Syles, school counselor at Cook-Wissahickon Elementary School, says parents tell her they'd like their children to have options besides their neighborhood school, Roxborough High School.

Another concern, with all the specialization, is that students want to go to schools that fit their interests.

"I'm into the arts. I like dancing and acting," says Amari Jacks, 13, a student at Cook-Wissahickon who would like to pursue a career in the performing arts.

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This year, high school applications were due by Oct. 31 — before students received their first eighth grade report cards.

"We've got thousands of kids that apply," says Vincent Thompson, a school district spokesman, about the early deadline. With 163,000 students, the district is the eighth-largest in the country.

The October deadline means that, even though students apply in eighth grade, it's seventh grade — when most students are 12 or 13 years old — that matters academically.

"Seventh grade is a crucial year. ... Attendance, PSSAs, grades, etc.," says Christine Godfrey, dean of students at FACTS.

It's also the year when students begin navigating the application process. To help out, the district publishes a high school directory providing a snapshot of most schools, including admissions criteria, special programs and public transportation. To get a real sense of what schools are like, students also visit them or attend the district's annual weekend High School Expo.

Godfrey meets with each seventh grade homeroom once a week for a six-week guidance period that teaches students everything from how to pick a school to how to conduct themselves in interviews (Yes, speak with confidence. No, don't leave your shirt untucked.)

"The goal is that they come with some knowledge and some understanding of what they're looking for when they walk through the door in September," she explains. Indeed, by the time students begin eighth grade at FACTS, they've generally visited several schools, combed through the directory and can tell you in a matter of seconds whether Masterman requires Algebra I or if SLA interviews applicants.

The charter school admissions process is independent, and takes extra work. Amy Lee and her classmate, Wanda Le, 13, both applied to Charter High School for Architecture and Design (CHAD), which requires students to submit portfolios of artwork and spend a Saturday morning touring the school, being interviewed, sketching on the spot and solving spatial brain teasers.

It's enough to make an adult's head spin. Amy, whose Chinese-born parents speak limited English, depended on Godfrey for everything from proofreading essays to taking her to visit Central. And of course, not all students in the city have someone like that in their lives.

"For many kids, parents aren't making [the] choices," says Godfrey. "Kids are choosing, and parents are signing off on choices."

After the last essay is written and the last interview question answered, all students can do is wait. For those accepted to multiple high schools in the district (excluding charters), letters were supposed to be mailed to their homes on March 6 and returned to their school counselors with their decision by March 20.

For some, the letters arrived later than expected.

This didn't make a bit of difference for Abby, who didn't even look at her letter — SLA's principal had already called Godfrey to let her know Abby had been accepted.

But for other students, the fact that their letters arrived late was a problem.

"I didn't really like that," says Amy, who had hoped to visit Central again before making her decision, but didn't feel she could miss a day of PSSA testing, which began the same week. She was accepted by four of five special admissions schools, and chose to attend Central.

Students with multiple acceptances are supposed to have two weeks to choose, says LeTretta Jones, director of the Office of Student Placement. If a letter's late arrival means they have less time to decide, parents should call the office directly to ask for an extension. (Jones also stresses that parents and students should not wait until this two-week period to visit schools.)

Syles informed her students at Cook-Wissahickon of their acceptances before the letters arrived at their homes (she was able to access the information online). Nikolas Neri, an eighth grader at Cook-Wissahickon, visited Central with Syles and a classmate before making his final decision. He was wait-listed at his first choice, SLA. He's looking forward to attending Central, but knows the daily commute from Roxborough, which requires three buses each way, will be tough.

"More kids now are traveling than ever before," says Thompson.

To make matters more complicated, the district mails "final status" letters — to students with one or no acceptances — weeks later. This second wave of letters was supposed to be mailed on April 13, but — for at least some students — they also arrived late.

Last Wednesday, Godfrey was helping students who still hadn't heard to apply to additional charter schools.

"It is a really hard process," said Godfrey on April 22. "I keep reassuring them that if you've done your part, the only thing you can do is wait."

(As of this week, all FACTS students had received their final status letters.)

Students with multiple acceptances receive their letters first because their responses affect other students' admissions prospects.

"Why send them a [rejection] letter when they can get an approval letter three weeks later?" explains Jones about why letters are not mailed all at once.

Wanda Le didn't get into her district schools, but has been accepted to two charters: CHAD and Philadelphia Electrical and Technology Charter High School (PET). She's leaning toward PET. She says she's "just a little bit" interested in an electrical career. But her brother graduated from the school, so it's a known quantity.

Wanda is planning to shadow at both schools before making up her mind. She's also in the process of applying to another school, Eastern University Academy Charter School, a college prep school set to open this fall. She wants to make sure she explores all her options.

(editorial@citypaper.net)