Getting up close and personal with the system
NYC high school admissions season has begun. For those of you unfamiliar with this process, it’s a unique and “interesting” opportunity to get up close and personal with one of the most segregated school systems in the country - I’m talking about the public school system but of course, the way it interfaces with the private school system is part of what makes it so segregated.
According to Inside Schools, all high schools citywide are 7% white, while the city itself is about 40% white. Meanwhile, private high schools typically run $60-$70K per year (that’s for day schools - not boarding!)
The whole situation is mind boggling, and entirely the product of a country deliberately and explicitly designed to use racial categorization to create and maintain economic, political and social power for the few at the expense of the many.
Of course, there is no easy fix to such a systemic issue that is so deeply engrained - it’s not just about education, it’s about how all these systems, including housing, medical, judicial, political, economic etc. interact and compound upon one another. The lines of division were drawn long ago, and a system cannot rely on individuals “doing the right thing” to desegregate it.
As I navigate this system and try to grapple with the complexities of it all - screened, audition, assessment, ed opt, specialized, lottery - I don’t have any answers. I’m too in it to land anywhere but even if I weren’t, the input of those more deeply impacted should be way more important than mine.
Here is what I do know:
I have spent HOURS trying to understand the system, organize my research, plan our application strategy and prioritize open houses to attend. I keep thinking I’ve “got it” and then I’ve “un-got it” and I have to retrace my steps. It is overwhelming and exhausting (if you’re curious, try starting with this page and see how you feel), yet I know my son is going to benefit from this work and all of the resources and support he has access to. What seems to be one the biggest advantages in this system is for a student to have at least one adult who can figure out how to navigate the system, which is NOT at all equitable or fair, as many will not. (By the way, from what I can see, this work falls disproportionately to women, which is also a systemic issue but a whole other discussion.)
I hate grades. Even as a student who always got good grades, I hated grades. Feedback is a gift but grades teach perfectionism and fear of failure, and inhibits risk taking, innovation, creativity, exploration and curiosity, besides being a tool to perpetuate systemic oppression. Making your access to certain high schools dependent on a student’s grades in 7th grade does not make sense to me (although these are only a small number of the overall schools, these are often the ones that middle and upper middle class families see as most desirable).
Not all kids who work hard get good grades, not all kids who get good grades work hard, and there are so many systemic reasons that impact grades, motivation and attendance. Yes I’m talking about the Chancellor’s problematic comment about the kids who should have “priority access” to schools.
Having a % of seats go to “Diversity in Admissions” (DIA) is great, but word is that many of those seats are not getting filled, which means DIA students either don’t know about or aren’t interested in attending these schools. It is not hard to imagine why. Note that race is NOT a factor that is taken into consideration for DIA. However, the point is that you can’t just set aside a bunch of seats and be done. That doesn’t mean don’t designate seats, but inclusion isn’t just about “letting people in” to an existing culture or community - it’s about shifting the community so it’s somewhere more people can belong and be successful without having to assimilate. Edited to add, additional information has since come out from DOE and it appears that DIA seats are in fact getting filled, contrary to what is being shared at some open houses. The point remains, however, that “letting people in” isn’t enough for equity and inclusion, even if it does create more diversity.
The specialized high schools, who offer seats based on how well you do on a specific standardized test that some feel should be abolished, are a whole other issue. Black and Latinx students are severely under-represented in these schools, while Asian and white students are over-represented. It’s complicated, because, Asian Americans, while over-represented, also include the poorest immigrant groups in the city. Nonetheless, low-income students are generally under-represented at these schools too. Income is a marker of systemic marginalization for sure, but I think we have to confront the systemic marginalization that has specifically targeted Black and Indigenous folks in this country. Asian Americans as a whole face barriers that are not quite as deeply ingrained or inter-generational, and have easier paths to gaining or regaining socio-economic privilege. Just like with white privilege, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t individuals and communities within this broad ranging group who have had to sacrifice, work hard etc, but it shouldn’t have to be the “oppression olympics.”
That leads me to my last point (for now). Communities that have been traditionally and historically marginalized - for example Black and other communities of color, low income communities, including low income Asian American communities etc - could be approached not in the spirit of “helping” but in the spirit of learning, and could come together in solidarity to work towards advocating for shared goals. I truly believe this will make the system better for everyone.
Banner photo by Mwesigwa Joel on Unsplash
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