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.
National Partners include: the Rose Foundation, the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, Anonymous (3), Carter Bacon, Sophia Neaman, Deborah Rose, the Lagemann Foundation, the History Channel, the National Center on Education and the Economy, Robert Grusky, Sandra Priest Rose, and the Earhart Foundation.
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: fitzhugh@tcr.org for more information.
Will Fitzhugh, Founder
The Concord Review
Consortium for Varsity Academics®
Since 1987, The Concord Review has published 1,165 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.