McKinnis fears that busing will be the next target.

"The next thing you're going to hear is that the school system will return to neighborhood schools, and that is a big mistake because there are certain areas in the black community where there are no schools for those kids to go to," she adds.

prominent black leaders have said they are not asking for a lowering of the standards so they can get into Boston Latin but rather improving the quality of early education so everyone can have an equal chance of getting in.

Alkins would like to see more resources put into the city's elementary and middle schools.

"There's no reason why all the public high schools in the Boston area should not have a level of education equal to the education that the exam schools offer," he says, "Not everyone has to go to the three schools."

McKinnis also wonders why "all schools can't be like Latin and provide a quality education." But she insists that until things change, the Boston Latin School still remains the best school for minority students and should therefore make a special effort to accept them.

America's Oldest school

Founded in 1635, the Boston Latin School boasts an impressive alumni roster, including five signers of the Declaration of Independence and Harvard alumni Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Santayana and Leonard Bernstein.

For blacks and whites.alike, it holds out the promise of a bright future.

For the celebration of the school's 350th anniversary, McKinnis says that "many of the alumni were saying that they would prefer a Latin student over other students. Even if the Latin student made D's, they would prefer the Latin student over other students.

"It opens a lot of doors," she says, "especially being a minority."

McKinnis's own daughter, Palestine, graduated from the school in 1989.

McLaughlin also stresses the importance of a Latin diploma toward a good college and a promising future.

"It was always available to the best students regardless of who they were," he says. "For many years, the entire graduating class [ofLatin] went to Harvard."

Two of McLaughlin's daughters graduated from Boston Latin, and Julia is currently in the eighth grade there.