Giving Compass' Take:

· Even after the education department approved changes to middle school admissions in District 3, schools in Harlem may still face challenges with segregation. Chalkbeat discusses the district's visioning campaign focused on learning what families want and providing necessary resources for schools.

· Although admission policies have changed and allow school choice, what are some challenges schools in Harlem face with enrollment? 

· Read more about efforts to integrate District 3 middle schools.

Along a stretch of brick wall at P.S. 180 Hugo Newman, a massive mural proclaims “Young, gifted, and Harlem.”

The sunny new painting at the K-8 school, which was donated by a local artist, is not the typical volunteer effort. It’s part of a push by parent leaders and city officials to boost Harlem schools — the crucial next step toward making a new, contentious integration plan work.

The education department this summer approved changes to the way students are admitted to middle schools in District 3, an effort to spur diversity in a deeply segregated district that spans the Upper West Side and part of Harlem. The fight to get it approved captured national attention, but the admissions changes may have been the easy part.

Students there are still free to apply to their choice of middle schools, so demographics won’t shift at many schools unless families make different decisions about where to send their children. For Harlem, that means competing for students with schools that have far more resources and are in strong demand with middle-class parents.

Read the full article about Harlem schools by Christina Veiga at Chalkbeat.