Chicago Valedictorians Struggle to Stay Competitive

Chicago Reporter, The, May, 2001 by Sarah Karp

Advancing Students

Efforts by the Chicago Public Schools to increase the availability of Advanced Placement classes--in which high school students can earn college credit--has benefited this year's vatedictorians. But race still plays a role: On average, valedictorians at predominantly black high schools took less than half the number of AP classes as their counterparts at racially diverse schools.

Notes: Thirty-one schools were defined as predominantly black, where at least 60 percent of the student population was African American in both the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 school years; 10 Latino schools were defined as at least 60 percent Latino. In another 22 mixed schools, no racial group accounted for more than 60 percent of the enrollment. Data were not available for four schools and do not-include charter and alternative high schools.

Sources: Chicago Public Schools High School Development Office, Illinois State Board of Education; analyzed by The Chicago Reporter.

[Graph omitted]

Passing the Test

Valedictorians from the Class of 2000 who went to racially mixed high schools performed better, on average, on the American College Test, a standardized exam widely used by colleges in their admissions decisions, than their counterparts at predominantly black or Latino schools. A perfect score on the ACT is 36; the state average is 21.

Notes: Thirty-one schools were predominantly black, where at least 60 percent of the student population was African American in the 1999-2000 school year; 10 schools were at least 60 percent Latino. In another 22 mixed schools, no racial group accounted for more than 60 of the enrollment. Data were not available for six schools and do not include charter and alternative high schools.

Sources: Chicago Public School Development Office, Illinois State Board of Education; analyzed by The Chicago Reporter.

[Graph omitted]

Moderate Success
Most of the 31 Class of 2000 valedictorians interviewed for the
Chicago Valedictorian survey went to colleges that were listed as
"moderately difficult". But African American valedictorians were
most likely to attend those schools.
                         White  Black  Latino  Asian
Minimally difficult        0      1      1       0
Moderately difficult       2      7      3       1
Most and very difficult    3      3      3       4
Not rated                  3      2      1
Notes: Two of the valedictorians are counted twice because they attended
two different colleges. Peterson's does not list ratings for two-year
colleges.
Source: Chicago Valedictorian Survey, Peterson's Guide to Four Year
Colleges; analyzed by The Chicago Reporter.

VALEDICTORIANS

Callie Toneal Pittman (seated)

Shallie Pittman 1995 co-valedictorians at George Washington Carver Military Academy High School, 13100 S. Doty West Ave.

Age: 23 (twins)

Race/Ethnicity: Black

College Both went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Callie is pursuing a master's in clinical psychology at the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. Shallie is training to become a doctor at Rush Medical College.