The Rise and Fall of Lottery Admission at Lowell High School

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 11:40 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Rethinking Charter Schooling: Online Learning, Lottery Admissions, and Equity in Education (Table 3)

Abstract

Elite high schools are garnering significant public attention, as controversies vis-à-vis merit and admission transpire. This study analyzes the rise and fall of lottery admission at Lowell High, an effort to diversify one of the highest-ranking schools in the US. I employ the lenses of critical race studies and critical discourse analysis to probe the following questions: (1) how were racialized discourses implicated in the rise and fall of lottery admission at Lowell High School? (2) how did racial logics inform notions of merit and deservingness? and (3) how were racialized discourses shaping the development of academic policy solutions? I offer key insights into emerging trends, particularly as reactionary movements challenge the future of equity and social justice in education.

Author

• Omar Davila Jr., Santa Clara University