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The Consortium for Varsity Academics® was formed in 2007 to provide
continuity of support for
these efforts into their third decade and beyond.
Member
Schools now include:
Menlo School, Atherton, California, and the American School of Singapore. [A number of other independent school members dropped their support in 2010].
National Partners include: the Rose Foundation, the American Council of Trustees and
Alumni, Anonymous (2), the Leadership and
Learning Center, Carter Bacon, Sophia Fitzhugh, Deborah Rose, the Lagemann Foundation, the History Channel, the National Center
on
Education and the Economy, Robert Grusky, Douglas B. Reeves, Sandra Priest Rose, Earhart Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Gilder-Lehrman
Institute.
The Concord Review is what economists
call a “public good.” It
exists to benefit all people
interested in academic excellence in high school, but no one school or group
has an
incentive to keep it going for the benefit of all, because its most direct beneficiaries
are
relatively few in number (not counting those who benefit from reading the
journal).
Albert Shanker, late president of the AFT, saw immediately
that the Varsity Academics® analogy fits our premise. He observed to me that The Concord
Review is like a
city basketball
league championship. If there is no league (paid for by all the schools) for
young people to
play in, there can be no championship. Schools voluntarily pay their league dues
to give
their best athletes something to aim for, even knowing that they may seldom if
ever win a
championship. They don’t do this to benefit just the stars, but for intangibles
like school
pride and for the example provided by the best athletes for other aspiring athletes.
Similarly, The Concord Review provides
a challenge and exemplary academic work to inspire
all young scholars in the Member Schools of the Consortium
for Varsity Academics®. I
welcome all schools to join the Consortium. Please email me at: [email protected] for
more information.
Will Fitzhugh, Founder
The Concord Review
Consortium for Varsity Academics®
Since 1987, The Concord Review has published 1,044 research papers by secondary students from 46 states and 38 other countries.
Annual membership in the Consortium is $5,000, payable to The Concord Review.
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