Admission to New York City’s elite high schools is determined by one test and one test only. As a result of this policy, few black or Hispanic students are admitted to these schools. Diversity has dropped sharply in the past several years.
Civil rights groups are suing the city.
Consider these startling facts:
“Although 70 percent of the city’s public school students are black and Hispanic, a far smaller percentage have scored high enough to receive offers from one of the schools. According to the complaint, 733 of the 12,525 black and Hispanic students who took the exam were offered seats this year. For whites, 1,253 of the 4,101 test takers were offered seats. Of 7,119 Asian students who took the test, 2,490 were offered seats. At Stuyvesant High School, the most sought-after school, 19 blacks were offered seats in a freshman class of 967.”
Imagine that: Only 19 black students in a class of 967.
At a news conference, Mayor Bloomberg said that the exam schools are “designed for the best and the brightest” and he saw no reason to change the policy or state law that permits it.
D—Pls be very very careful on this… there is a lot to be said… it is NOT simple at all… Thanks! Neal
Neal H. Hurwitz
Executive Director
http://www.ourstrongband.org
Creator/Publisher: Stuyvesant High School: The First 100 Years, 1904-2004, 225pp. Available on the web site.
Feel free to say it.
Diane
George Wallace would be so proud …
I’m glad you brought up George Wallace, Jon. When the CTU was on strike, an ugly ad was placed in USA Today comparing the CTU to Wallace, with the caption (may not be exact, as I don’t have the paper):”Now, someone else is keeping children from entering the schoolhouse door.” The ultimate irony.
One of the MAJOR problems is the test and how they score it! See the 2008 NY Times article… I can discuss— 212-222-9112. Thanks, Neal
http://www.ourstrongband.org
PS— Happy to see the New Yorker article! Not a terrible job but very “insubstantial” in a way… but Congrats to you Diane! 🙂 Neal