ARTICLES ABOUT HARVARD-WESTLAKE SCHOOL: THE IMPORTANCE OF AP'S, TRACKING, AND ACADEMIC RIGOR; STEM VS HUMANITIES
AP and Tracking at Harvard-Westlake School
In which direction should Harvard-Westlake go? By: Joaquín Fernández-Castro, Spanish teacher
May 28, 2014
The constant pursuit of excellence and the successful placement of our graduates at some of the most competitive colleges in the nation has long been the essence of Harvard-Westlake’s identity. The majority of our students and parents choose our school because of its quality college preparatory programs and extracurricular activities. However, with a new president, the critical question is: what direction will the school choose to go?
The workload committee is recommending limiting the number of core subjects and extracurricular activities a student can take to reduce their workload and stress. The committee has also suggested extending the school year and reducing vacation time in order to expand days dedicated to service and other extra-curricular activities. Several top administrators have proposed the elimination of the AP program and semester exams. Our students want changes, but the data from the survey does not support the interpretation made by the committee or administration.
One of the few positive correlations from the data, as described to me by a committee member, is that students taking more AP courses report higher levels of enjoyment of academics. By contrast, one could infer that students struggling academically or unable to find their own niche are the most stressed and least satisfied. The crucial question is: how can we offer ALL our students a path to excel, to reach their full potential without lowering standards?
Introducing multiple tracks beginning at the middle school level in all academic departments could accommodate the diverse set of backgrounds, gifts, abilities and ambitions of our students. This flexible structure could include regular, honors and accelerated tracks, as well as offer more rigorous and advanced courses beginning in the Middle School. The math department, and to a lesser extent, the science department are the only academic departments that have multiple tracks since 7th or 9th grade. It is not a coincidence that these departments have almost no “transition problems” between ninth and 10th grades. Similarly, these departments that track earlier are also the ones preferred by our male students (60% of the total students taking AP’s), who overall, are a “happier” group than our female students. By contrast, our female students, tend to prefer the liberal arts departments (English, History, World Languages, Arts) in similar proportions than male students. Unfortunately, most of the liberal arts do not offer early tracking currently. Consequently, these students do not have the opportunity to take advanced classes or choose between honors and regular track until 10th or 11th grade, which may be one of the causes of ninth to tenth grade “transition problems” and the lower level of academic satisfaction among female students.
Multiple tracks in ALL departments would allow most of our students to move faster and reach AP and other advanced courses in their areas of strength by 10th or 11th grade. These expanded opportunities would allow other students to move through the curriculum at a pace more suited to their needs, interests and motivations. Under this flexible structure, some students may choose to load up and thrive with many core subjects, while others may find their niche in electives and extracurricular activities. ALL our students need more opportunities to thrive within the school rather than limit their choices further by cutting their options.
The administration and the Faculty Academic Committee’s decision to leave it up to each department to choose whether to drop its AP program or continue is just setting the stage for an eventual phasing out of AP at our school. Our AP program has been one of the sources of strength and excellence at our school compared to other schools nationwide. In fact, the opportunity for students to have several tracks and choose a variety of classes, including AP and Post-AP courses, adds richness and depth to Harvard-Westlake’s educational experience in the context of a more competitive and global world.
Furthermore, the recent pilot program approved by FAC to move semester exams before winter vacation will negatively impact AP practice exams by shortening the exam time. Students do not want to extend the academic year or add days of service beyond our current community service requirement. Any service beyond that should be voluntary by those advocating it and on their own time. Instead, beginning school a week earlier, ending it a week earlier and reducing the review days to the first four days after winter break would provide extra teaching days and several three day weekends. This can be done without extending the academic year or disrupting our current semester and AP practice exams.
Careful consideration should be made before recommending, adopting and implementing policies that could negatively impact our school tradition of academic excellence. A flexible multiple track structure beginning earlier and strengthening our AP program could unleash our students’ and our school’s full potential.
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Academic rigor
In defense of rigor
A Los Angeles Times headline recently proclaimed that “At Harvard-Westlake School, Some Wonder if Standards Are Too High.” I, for one, believe that as a community, we would be much better off wondering if our standards are high enough.
Jesse Reiner, Science Teacher
November 13, 2013
A Los Angeles Times headline recently proclaimed that “At Harvard-Westlake School, Some Wonder if Standards Are Too High.” I, for one, believe that as a community, we would be much better off wondering if our standards are high enough.
When I arrived at Harvard-Westlake 12 years ago, I knew that I had come to a very special place. The intelligence, warmth and integrity of the faculty and staff were impressive, the facilities were wonderful, but what really wowed me were the students: they were the most thoughtful, most positive and most disciplined group of students I had ever been around. I had attended an excellent public high school in a small town where most of my friends’ parents were college professors, had spent four years as an undergraduate at an Ivy League university and six years teaching at a very good private school in New York City, but the student population here impressed me more, as hard-working, confident and productive.
How is it that in a city that has countless high schools, one school becomes the consensus top school in the area? The answer is simple: by attracting the most motivated, dedicated and imaginative students and then asking more of those students than any other school does. What other way is there? By simply having more money than other schools? By filling the school with genetically superior students and faculty? These are, of course, ridiculous notions — the only way to make Harvard-Westlake the best school around is to ask our students to work the hardest and to do the best work.
Certainly it is in everyone’s interests that the work be interesting and stimulating and that it encourages real intellectual and emotional growth, and high standards need to be accompanied by a high level of compassion and support. But we should never apologize for challenging our students to work harder than students at other schools, for that is precisely what makes us the school that we are, and more importantly, it is what prepares our students for success later in life.
We at Harvard-Westlake are fortunate to be part of such a special institution, which has a culture of excellence, a sterling reputation and tremendous financial resources. All of these factors are the result of the hard work of past generations who were held to high standards with no apologies. To relax those standards or begin to apologize for who we are is to begin the inevitable erosion of all that makes our school so special and to start an inevitable march toward mediocrity.
Students, of course, at times grumble about the amount of work that is expected from them — no one would expect it to be otherwise. I would challenge you, however, to find a single adult who would say, “Yeah, I had to work really hard in high school, I sure wish I hadn’t been challenged so much.” But surely, you will find hundreds, yes, thousands of Harvard-Westlake graduates who will express gratitude for the knowledge, skills, discipline and confidence that they were required to develop by being deeply challenged while they were here.
A small but vocal minority of parents will always petition for the lowering of academic standards and reduction of workload, motivated by an understandable concern about their child’s stress level, or by more Machiavellian concerns related to college admissions. But stress is an unavoidable part of growth and will always be present wherever worthy challenges are being met. And in petitioning for a reduced workload, what a parent is effectively asking, whether he or she realizes it or not, is that their child be allowed to coast on the school’s reputation, a reputation that was earned by previous generations of students who had to work harder. Had those previous students not been held to those higher standards, these same parents would likely never have wanted to send their students to Harvard-Westlake in the first place.
Some who do not have the good fortune to be a part of this community will inevitably take potshots at Harvard-Westlake, accusing us of being a “pressure-cooker,” and try to imply that our students are less happy, healthy and well-adjusted than students at other schools where students don’t have to work as hard. But does anyone really believe that this is true? Is there another high school out there where achievement-oriented 15 through 18 year olds don’t feel pressure, don’t have to make compromises, don’t struggle with their emotions at times? If there were, would anyone even want to send their children to such a school?
High standards and academic rigor are the foundation upon which Harvard-Westlake is built and the engine that makes Harvard-Westlake go. It is something for which we should never apologize, and something that we who are lucky enough to work here should do everything in our power to cherish and to protect.
If we are committed to being the best high school around, there is no choice but to ask the most of our students. This is, in fact, the greatest gift that we can give them.
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STEM VS. HUMANITIES
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Guest Column:
Why does Harvard-Westlake hate humanities?
The imbalance between the varied list of math and science classes and meager amount of English or language courses is disappointing, to say the least.
Sam Schlesinger '15
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Editorial:
Dear Mr. President,
Jacob Goodman
May 28, 2014
