My School Experimented with ‘Education Equity.’ It Failed.

NEWTON, Massachusetts — In autumn 2021, against the already-challenging backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and remote learning, the Newton Public Schools decided to carry out a complex initiative at its two high schools known as “multilevel classrooms.” Previously, most classes at Newton’s high schools were given a label: honors, advanced college prep, or college prep, with honors offering the most challenging content.

This system of “tracked classes” had its problems. Students who began their freshman year in a particular level could find it challenging to change levels, possibly making it harder for them to eventually take more advanced courses such as AP Calculus. To make matters worse, black, Latino, and low-income students were disproportionately represented in lower-level classes.

The multilevel model sought to rectify this problem by mixing the levels together into a single classroom taught by a single teacher. The district’s administrators claimed this would allow easier transitions among levels for students, increase exposure to more advanced content for lower-level students, and provide beneficial interactions among students who might otherwise never meet. This was a model that had seen some success at Newton South in the English and history departments and in specialized, opt-in programs that were well-funded and well-supported.

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