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Students in the Math and Science Academy at Dulles High School are some of the more than 1,500 students enrolled in academies across Fort Bend ISD. International business and marketing and global studies are also offered.
Photo: Courtesy of Fort Bend ISD

A months-long debate about the fate of several competitive academy programs in the Fort Bend school district came to an abrupt end Thursday when the district withdrew its proposal to phase out several of the programs.

"Our discussions following this week's community dialogue meetings have shown there is strong support for academies - as well as rigorous coursework for all students," said Superintendent Charles Dupre when the district announced the reversal. "It is clear to me that the district has a place for both."

The discussion has played out in school board meetings, in living rooms and even in high school hallways between students who say the academies, which draw students from across the district, have created hypercompetitive atmospheres.

"It's like survival of the fittest basically," said one eighth-grader considering applying to one of the high school academies, where many students take summer school just to get ahead.

Fort Bend's academies, which are housed in existing high schools and not considered magnet schools, started in 1998 at Hightower High School, which hosted the medical science, digital media and engineering academies.

Over time, the district added international business and marketing, math and science, and a global studies academy at other campuses, as well as a gifted-and-talented academy at the middle school level.

Some academies have been closed due to low enrollment, according to the district. Each was meant to have a clear career focus and offer high-level courses and internship opportunities unique to its program.

'Clear about mission'

Nationally, academies were developed, alongside magnet and later charter schools, as outlets for educational innovation and choice, as well as important tools for desegregating school districts, said Claire Smrekar, a professor at Vanderbilt University who focuses on the social context of education and the impact of school choice programs.

As the focus in public education shifted from desegregation in the late 1990s to choice and experimentation, Smrekar said, academies developed with career and college readiness focuses.

But magnet and academy programs have always faced questions about equal access to high-quality curriculum for all students, Smrekar said.

"The question was 'Why do this only for some kids?' " she said. "I'll never forget a parent in Cincinnati saying that to us, 'Why can't all schools be like magnet schools?' "

In Fort Bend's initial proposal, which would have allowed existing academy students to finish out their high school careers as planned, the district argued that many of the academies' offerings actually could be replicated across most campuses, and, in fact, should be under the new graduation requirements that went into effect across the state this fall as part of House Bill 5.

"We're seeking the best ways to implement House Bill 5 and to offer our students choices," Christie Whitbeck, Fort Bend's deputy superintendent, told the school board during a recent workshop.

Districts are also required by the state to provide educational opportunities for students determined to be gifted and talented, but it is up to each district to decide how to do that. Houston ISD, for example, has Vanguard magnets and neighborhood school programs. Katy ISD offers AP courses as well as mentoring programs for its identified gifted students.

"The evidence suggests mixed outcomes," said Smrekar about school choice programs like magnets, academies and charters. "It's really important for a school district to be clear about their mission."

Parents in favor of keeping the academies were critical of the proposal to phase out most of them. They argued that eliminating the programs would dilute the quality of the education.

"These students are high-achievers," said KP George, a member of the school board and a self-described academy parent, at a recent workshop. Without the academies, he said, those students would be left with "mediocre education."

'Review and improve'

Indeed, it is often difficult for large districts to replicate the high achievement of some magnet programs, according to civil rights researcher Gary Orfield.

"The worst thing to do in those circumstances is to level down," Orfield said. "It is better to review and improve the system, make sure it is fair and provides access to disadvantaged students and increase the number if there is demand."

Many of the students zoned to schools that house these Fort Bend ISD academies say they have had to fight for resources, recognition and class rankings.

"It causes extra stress," said one sophomore who did not want to be identified because of the tension on campus. "Competition is good but the extent that it is at the school," he said, "it's ridiculous," describing long hours spent on homework, struggles for access to the best teachers and the seemingly unending race to the top 7 percent - a ranking that guarantees the student admission to the University of Texas at Austin.

Though he favored the proposal to phase out the academies, he said it could also help the situation by simply ranking academy students separately from the rest of the students in the high school.

Fort Bend's quick aboutface has some community members unsure about the district's vision.

"I certainly was not expecting a complete turnaround in just a couple of days," said Jay Clancy, a parent in the district. "Makes me wonder what really happened."

The district confirmed the superintendent will address the board further at Monday's meeting but has no plans to propose closing any of the academies in the future.