New York City Schools Case Study

Nikole Hannah-Jones and her husband were facing one of the toughest decisions since they became parents; where would they send their 4-year old daughter to school in an intensely segregated New York City school system? The family lived in the predominantly low-income, black neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant and if their daughter attended the local public school, she would be attending the school with a majority of low-income black students. They could send their daughter to a private school, as they were middle class, but what about the parents that could not afford that option? And what would the different experience mean to their daughter? The dilemma faced by these parents highlights the struggles of having a child in the New York CIty
According to the chancellor of New York City schools, Carmen Farina, she does not want to mandate schools to implement diversity programs, but rather she wants the schools to implement the programs on their own. This approach though can and has been criticized for not properly addressing the problem and allowing schools too much leeway in trying to desegregate. New York City’s Department of Education, however, has been trying to address the problem slowly through small changes. According to the New York Times, last fall the department approved a proposal by a group of principals for setting aside seats for low income and ESL students in higher performing schools. The city has also been expanding its bilingual programs and reduced academic screenings, as well as created programs for gifted low-income students, all in an effort to foster diversity and opportunity. These programs are designed to allow traditionally disadvantaged students the opportunity to participate in stronger school programs. In addition, officials are considering a system in which parents pick New York City public schools they want their children to attend and the districts place the students in schools based on their choices, while also keeping in mind the geographic make-up of these schools (this program is called “controlled choice”). Controlled choice would allow the parents of
Although there has been no major reform proposed by the New York City government, a study by UCLA suggests a variety of ways in which New York City schools can be diversified. Because the diversity of schools is so heavily linked to housing, as mentioned before, the UCLA study advocates for better housing policies that will allow low-income families into areas with better performing schools. As the de Blasio administration has been focusing more on affordable housing and integrating neighborhoods, this could potentially affect the diversity of schools in the city. The study also recommends that all schools be subject to civil rights programs, in which they are held accountable to implementing policies that will ensure diversity. Again, with Mayor de Blasio’s focus on closing the inequality gap and the fact that he has mayoral control of the schools, this could be a