Proud, old high schools such as McClatchy, underfinanced and lacking popular support, have become doormats to a handful of elite, suburban powerhouses. The trend was gaining momentum two decades ago. Now it has reached crisis levels, school administrators say. There is a great deal of concern regarding competitive equity in California. I can't tell you how many hours we've spent on this issue.
Educators fear the crisis has infected the core of the educational mission.
For more than three generations in California, sports played a major role in the physical, spiritual and intellectual growth of high school students. High schools commonly wrapped their identities around sports. Athletics were an extension of the classroom. On the playing field, students were taught hands-on lessons about competition, sportsmanship, rules, expectations and failure. For a handful of students, such competition made all the difference in staying in school.