New York City’s Specialized High Schools and Admissions

New York City’s Specialized high schools are in the news;  Chancellor Carranza, Mayor de Blasio, and State Assemblyman  Barron have proposed changing how students gain admission to these schools. That proposal is stalled until January, which gives us time to discuss and reflect.

Most students who get placement in these schools do so by scoring high on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). In recent years the number of Black and Hispanic students admitted has dwindled . The “diversity” issue has generated occasional arguments and proposals over the last few years. But this proposal comes from the Mayor, and has been headline news…

There are eight schools that would be affected. I teach at one of them. In fact, 16 years ago, I was the founding math teacher at one of them. And the chapter leader for these 16 years…

I certainly have some thoughts on specialized high schools and admissions. And over the next few days I will be sharing them.