Giving Compass' Take:

• A new report analyzes Mayor Bill de Blasio's controversial plan to increase the number of black and Hispanic students at eight specialized elite high schools in NYC by altering the admissions process to be more racially equitable. 

• Opponents of the plan argue that Asian students will most-likely lose their seats into these schools that they earned based on merit. Additionally, this plan may overlook other high-performing high schools that could also be beneficial for black and Hispanic students.  

•  Read about how to achieve diversity through accountability. 

By law, a student’s admission to one of New York City’s eight elite high schools is determined by his or her score on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). Only a very small number of black and Hispanic students make the cut, a fact that has led Mayor Bill de Blasio to engineer what he regards as a more equitable racial distribution of the widely sought seats in these schools. This will mean that some students, mostly Asian, will lose the seats they would otherwise have earned. Opponents of the mayor’s plan argue that the status quo is color-blind and merit-based and should largely be left alone.

However, the actual effect of these changes for the students who will gain entry and those who lose out can’t be considered in isolation. This report considers the mayor’s plan for the specialized high schools in a citywide context.

Among the findings:

  • There is a clear hierarchy of high schools operated by the New York City Department of Education. Those schools that admit students with the highest average eighth-grade composite state test scores include the city’s specialized high schools as well as other high-performing schools, many with a more racially diverse student body.
  • The eight high schools that use the SHSAT have the highest student attendance (96%), SAT scores (1429 combined verbal and math), and college-readiness rate (99%).
  • The high schools whose students’ eighth-grade composite state test scores were in the two lowest quintiles do not show good outcomes.

A key question about the specialized high schools is whether their students’ impressive outcomes are a function of the schools’ programs and practices or are due to the characteristics of the students they serve.

If more and better educational opportunities for black and Hispanic students are the ultimate goal of the mayor’s plan, his focus on the top eight schools may be nearsighted. They are not the only game in town. Program and curriculum upgrades in the city’s other high-performing high schools might be more effective.

Read the full report about diversity in NYC specialized high schools by Ray Domanico at the Manhattan Insitute.