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NYC Tried to Fix High School Admissions. Some Parents Are Furious

2 points by gnicholas 4y ago

gnicholas 4y ago
> the goal is not a spot in just any of the 160 schools but admission to eight or nine that are especially competitive, prestigious and largely dominated by white and Asian families Kind of weird to list white first when Asians are by far the dominant group in the most selective schools. [1] Also, no mention that many of the Asian families in the schools are low-income (50% of specialized school students qualify for subsidized lunch, [2] and 90% of those are Asian [3]), which would make it clear that admission is accessible to those who work hard and prioritize academics. The article makes it seem like rich/white people are the primary beneficiaries of the merit-based system, when this is far from being true. 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/nyregion/black-students-nyc-high-schools.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/nyregion/black-students-n... 2: https://nypost.com/2014/07/19/why-nycs-push-to-change-school-admissions-will-punish-poor-asians/ https://nypost.com/2014/07/19/why-nycs-push-to-change-school... 3: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/stuyvesant-serves-needy-minorities-article-1.3944199 https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/stuyvesant-serves-needy-...
sn0w_crash 4y ago
The city is “focusing less on grades, attendance and test scores.” What happens when these kids enter the workforce where they are measured on performance? I was placed in one of these high schools having just barely made the cut. The program absolutely destroyed me. I can say with a straight face that I should not have been there in the first place. There are many kids who get put in these programs so adults can make themselves feel good about diversity. The students are unprepared for what’s coming, can’t keep up with the curriculum and end up performing worse than they would in another school. Having witnessed firsthand what happens when kids are put in a specialized school on a lottery system, I can tell you it’s a horrible experience.

2 points by gnicholas 4y ago

> the goal is not a spot in just any of the 160 schools but admission to eight or nine that are especially competitive, prestigious and largely dominated by white and Asian families Kind of weird to list white first when Asians are by far the dominant group in the most selective schools. [1] Also, no mention that many of the Asian families in the schools are low-income (50% of specialized school students qualify for subsidized lunch, [2] and 90% of those are Asian [3]), which would make it clear that admission is accessible to those who work hard and prioritize academics. The article makes it seem like rich/white people are the primary beneficiaries of the merit-based system, when this is far from being true. 1: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/nyregion/black-students-nyc-high-schools.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/18/nyregion/black-students-n... 2: https://nypost.com/2014/07/19/why-nycs-push-to-change-school-admissions-will-punish-poor-asians/ https://nypost.com/2014/07/19/why-nycs-push-to-change-school... 3: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/stuyvesant-serves-needy-minorities-article-1.3944199 https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/stuyvesant-serves-needy-...

sn0w_crash 4y ago

The city is “focusing less on grades, attendance and test scores.” What happens when these kids enter the workforce where they are measured on performance? I was placed in one of these high schools having just barely made the cut. The program absolutely destroyed me. I can say with a straight face that I should not have been there in the first place. There are many kids who get put in these programs so adults can make themselves feel good about diversity. The students are unprepared for what’s coming, can’t keep up with the curriculum and end up performing worse than they would in another school. Having witnessed firsthand what happens when kids are put in a specialized school on a lottery system, I can tell you it’s a horrible experience.