Voting standards under scrutiny as NYC Council debates school admissions

The New York City Council is evaluating many changes to how public schools accept students as the pandemic disrupted many longstanding practices.

The discussion focused on how far districts should go in using selection criteria such as grades and test scores when deciding who gets into which school.

Councilwoman Rita Joseph, who chairs the education committee and oversaw the council hearing on Wednesday, welcomed the new policy in some districts that delays the use of selective admissions criteria criticized for participating in segregated classes.

“I am proud of the decisions of the superintendents who continue to take positive steps towards integration,” Joseph said.

Council Member Rita Joseph

But some board members have urged education officials to return to pre-pandemic policies, such as taking student test scores into account when applying.

Others still voiced misgivings about a return to so-called “academic screens”.

“I remain deeply disturbed by the years, conditions and practices that have perpetuated segregation in our city public schools,” council member Alexa Aviles said.

Chancellor David Banks has spoken out in support of school diversification, but a senior city education official says he will not authorize such initiatives from central headquarters. Instead, he said his priority is good neighborhood schools, even if those programs remain separate.

“We are committed to supporting inclusion efforts driven by the community, by families and for families,” First Deputy Dan Weisberg told the Council.

The Adams administration reversed several policy changes under former Mayor Bill de Blasio that affect the 300,000 students who enter new schools each year.

Adams and Banks have scrapped plans to phase out gifted and talented programs, adding 1,100 slots, but ditching the controversial exam that was the only indicator of giftedness for 4-year-olds before the pandemic.

Protesters gather outside City Hall to denounce Mayor Bill de Blasio's actions on the Gifted and Talented (G&T) public schools program on Thursday, October 14, 2021, in New York City.

The city has left the decision on high school admissions to the discretion of local governors.

For the first time since the pandemic, 59 schools have implemented grade-based screens, up from 196 schools before COVID-19 disrupted the enrollment process, education officials said.

In terms of high school students, Banks has narrowed down the list of top students earning first bucks at 120 select high schools. This year, admissions officials expect 20% of applicants to get into the city’s higher education institutions, compared with 60% last year. Families rank their favorite programs and match them with schools.

“We need to be more diverse,” said board member Linda Lee. “We also need to be balanced, because if parents have to send their students all the way to Manhattan or half a city, I don’t think it’s necessarily doing the students a favor.”

“I think the focus should be on how we can improve the school as a whole,” she added. “So that every student in the city truly has what they need to succeed.”

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