Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Admissions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Smith Vocational superintendent flags admissions gaps for students of color, urges K–8 outreach and mentoring
Summary
Smith Vocational High School Superintendent Lincoln Hocker told the Northampton Reparations Study Commission that students of color from Northampton apply to Smith at higher rates than white students but are accepted at lower rates; he urged earlier K–8 interventions, more career exposure and targeted outreach to reduce disparities.
Smith Vocational High School Superintendent Lincoln Hocker told the Northampton Reparations Study Commission that only about 20% of Smith’s students live in Northampton and that the school’s admissions process shows disparities for students of color from the city.
Hocker said the school receives about 300 applications for roughly 50 openings each year and ranks applicants using grades, attendance, discipline and a guidance recommendation. He said the most recent Northampton eighth-grade cohort was 27% students of color; 35% of those students applied to Smith but only 48% of those applicants received offers, while 18% of white eighth graders applied and 78% of those applicants received offers. “If I’m a student of color in Northampton, what is happening with my grades? What is happening with my discipline? What is happening with my attendance?” Hocker asked during the presentation.
Why it matters: Hocker said similar patterns appear statewide and that DESE (the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) has labeled the gap an “opportunity gap.” He warned the commission that counselor recommendations and other criteria can carry implicit bias and that inequities in early grades (attendance, academic performance, adult relationships) likely contribute to the differences seen at the high‑school application stage.
Hocker summarized Smith’s student body and outcomes as context: Smith’s overall enrollment has grown from about 440 in 2014 to roughly 600 students, with about 80% non‑residents; the school reports roughly 35% of students qualifying for special education services, a 92% graduation rate and a 0.9% dropout rate. He said those outcomes show vocational education can improve engagement and graduation for students who enroll.
On possible fixes, Hocker recommended upstream interventions in K–8: stronger mentoring, tutoring and relationship building so students arrive at middle school with better attendance and academic records and better adult advocates to write guidance recommendations. He also urged more career exposure in elementary grades so students understand vocational options early. Among policy options discussed, Hocker said he is not in favor of a pure blind lottery for admissions because vocational programs require basic safety and follow‑directions standards (for example, work with power tools and heavy equipment). He offered a compromise idea discussed statewide: a minimum‑criteria lottery (students who meet attendance/behavior minimums enter a lottery).
Commissioners asked for data and possible next steps. Hocker said he would share the statewide Board of Education material he referenced and agreed to draft written recommendations the commission can use during budget and planning discussions.
Ending: Commissioners and staff said they will follow up with Hocker for written recommendations and data he referenced to inform the commission’s education‑related reparations proposals.
