Good Riddance to TJ’s Principal

Earlier this week, Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) announced that Ann Bonitatibus, the principal of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (“TJ”), was “resigning” to take a new position in the central office.  The announcement followed the release of data showing that TJ’s number of National Merit semifinalists had plummeted from 165 last…

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TJ Drops in Quality Rankings, Again

Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJ) used to be the #1 high school in the country in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings.  It achieved this status in three consecutive years — 2020, 2021 and 2022.  But it slipped to #5 in 2023.  And it has dropped to #14 in…

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Coalition for TJ v. School Board — Further Analysis

The two-judge majority in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board concluded that the School Board’s revised admissions policy did not have a disparate, adverse impact on Asian American applicants to the high school; indeed, according to the court, this group was helped, not hurt, by the new admissions criteria. Having parsed through the…

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Appeals Court Overturns District Court Ruling in TJ Case

In a 2-1 split decision today, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit reversed the lower court’s ruling in Coalition for TJ v. Fairfax County School Board.  The district court had ruled in February 2022 that the Fairfax County School Board’s revision of admissions criteria for the elite Thomas Jefferson High School for…

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