DESEGREGATING NYC SCHOOLS

It’s a sad fact that New York City’s school system stands as one of the most segregated in the country. As real estate continues to boom and Caucasian families choose the city over the suburbs, black and Hispanic kids get the short end of the education stick…even in the neighborhoods they outnumber whites.

Plans to desegregate some of the high-performing schools in minority-rich neighborhoods include setting aside seats for black and brown children based on their test and grade scores as well as poverty level. This with the hopes that minority children whom received poor education on the elementary level get a chance to elevate in a richer scholastic environment. An excerpt from the recent New York Times article, City Councilman Brad Lander gets to the terrible truth rather quickly:

“It’s hard to look at, but segregated schools function as a system for hoarding privilege. Schools with whiter and wealthier student bodies are able to provide students with access to many more opportunities.”