The best article we've scoured in the papers today? The NY Times article about declining numbers of black and Hispanic students at the city's top schools - even in spite of the city's best efforts to encourage them to apply and attend. And at the same time, the number of Asian students is rising to new highs at schools like Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. There are a number of reactions, quasi-explanations, and questions in the article:
- "Is it institutional racism or is it something else?" - City Councilman Robert Jackson
- Is judging school admissions on a test alone fair? Colleges use other data to admit sutdents
- Are black and Hispanic students taking the special test?
- Are black and Hispanic attending specialized schools closer to home?
- Should more resources, like mentoring programs, be put in place to encourage students to apply?
The NY Times also had a great graphic (above) showing the numbers. It's pretty amazing. We think that if the city tries to improve educationals resources to middle school students applying to these schools, they need to extend that to families at an earlier point - we doubt all the students getting into the top schools have private tutors, it might be a matter of how much studying is emphasized at home - as well as making sure the lower schools are equipped to prepare these kids for the tests. It's not just about the specialized test - it's everything around it. If anything, this should be the Bloomberg's administration upteenth wake-up call about educational disparities being played out.
