Despite the nation’s schools being desegregated decades ago, and New York City being one of the most diverse cities in the world, the city’s public schools remain some of the most segregated in the nation. While the school system itself is quite diverse- 40.3 percent Hispanic, 32 percent black, 14.9 percent white and 13.7 percent Asian- individual schools remain incredibly segregated. More than a third of all the schools have a population that is 70% one race, and more than half the city’s schools are 90% black or Hispanic (Kleinfeld). The question rises: are these schools segregated along race lines, or class lines? Why are they segregated at all? It turns out, schools are segregated largely because neighborhoods and housing in the city in general are also segregated. NYC residents live in a sort of intimate segregation: though the population itself is incredibly diverse, the neighborhoods and the way the population lives is not. In fact, a 2009-2010 study showed how about 80% of the city’s students would have to move to achieve integration among blacks and whites in the public school system (Cox).

New York City public schools remains some of the most segregated in the nation.

This segregation in housing then leads to segregated school districts and schools as well, and because it is so difficult to find affordable housing in the city, the solution to the city’s segregated schools is not as simple as one would assume. And while this difference in housing and therefore districts does not seem to have any racial intentions, it becomes clear after looking at the statistics just how inextricably connected race and class are. Black and Hispanic children are more likely to grow up in poor neighborhoods in the city, therefore going to poorer schools. But you may ask: so what? Even if schools are so segregated, that does not imply that minority children are being treated any different from white children, right?

Are all races and classes treated equally in NYC schools?

Wrong. Having established that this segregation exists, we also need to explore the impacts of this segregation. Children from poorer families end up grouped together in poorer schools in the city. Because of this, many of the amenities available to wealthier school districts aren’t available to them, and their parents are unable to raise money themselves to make up for this the way wealthier families would be able to. Poorer schools offer few higher level courses, and are unable to fund afterschool or arts programs. Poorer schools also have a harder time finding and keeping good teachers, and students can sometimes be distracted by violence from the neighborhood seeping into the school. This already puts the majority African American/Hispanic students in poorer schools at a significant disadvantage compared to their white counterparts. The fact that schools serving poorer populations are not on par with nearby schools serving wealthier populations is no secret. Efforts at rezoning neighborhoods often face backlash for this very reason: parents, understandably, do not want to send their children to a school with a lower quality of education. However, this rezoning and integration is necessary for the city to overcome this major segregation problem. Furthermore, many of these poorer schools are working extra hard to keep up with wealthier schools, and the stigma behind schools in poor communities of color do nothing but make the situation worse.

These discrepancies in opportunities manifest themselves in an even greater, and ever-widening gap in regards to outcomes and results. The New York Times describes the test scores of a largely black and Hispanic school in comparison to a wealthier, mostly white school, saying “Its state test scores, while below the citywide averages, are closer to average for black and Hispanic students, with 20 percent of its students passing the math tests and 12 percent passing the reading tests this past year. At P.S. 8, whose population is 59 percent white, with only 15 percent receiving assistance, scores are considerably above the city averages. Almost two-thirds of its students passed each test.” One of the reasons given for this score gap is that the the tests don’t take into account hardships a child may be facing at home, and don’t truly show a child’s intelligence or potential. Additionally, wealthier parents are often able to afford tutoring for their children, while poorer parents can not. The result of this can be seen even in specialized high schools, in which admittance depends solely on a single test. This system is supposed to be completely color and class blind, but it does not take into account how parents can afford to send their children to tutoring for months on end before this exam. 

“The preponderance of evidence shows that attending schools that are diverse has positive effects on children throughout the grades, and it grows over time” 

Roslyn Mickelson

Still, some parents argue that this segregation does not matter. They do not want their children to be the only one of a few people that look like them in their schools, and say that as long as the education is equal, they do not care what color the students in the schools are. Putting aside the fact that we have already seen how the education quality is usually not equal, this segregation in schools has huge effects on students. Research shows that minority students in integrated schools don’t just perform better academically, but go on to have higher incomes and are actually healthier than their counterparts in segregated schools. Furthermore, this segregation does not equip students for the real world, or adult life. It leaves them unprepared when it comes to working with colleagues of different backgrounds, something the students themselves are aware of: Tori Williams, an eighth grader in Explore Academy, said, “You see one race, and you’re going to be accustomed to one race.” Another student, Kenny Wright, further explained the importance of integrated schools: “You could have more thoughts instead of all the same thoughts” (Kleinfeld). Furthermore, this segregation makes speaking about race, something that it’s become clear cannot be ignored, increasingly harder. Even in schools with large minority populations, teachers are usually white, leaving discussions about race tense, if they exist at all. despite teachers’ best efforts.

What is being done to make schools more equal? What can be done to solve this issue?

There are various ways to go about solving this issue, and different methods are being implemented around the city. While there are citywide laws in place to promote more diversity in schools, they are more symbolic than anything else (Colette). For example, the School Diversity Accountability Act signed in June 2015 requires the NYC Department of Education to collect demographic data on schools and identify steps to increase diversity in schools, and requires that diversity be considered in school assignment processes. However, because there are no specific guidelines to this law, it remains a symbol, as opposed to a solution. Most of the change that has been brought about has been through more local, grassroots organization that seek small-scale changes to local schools. Some districts are trying to rezone, though this is more often due to reasons besides segregation, such as overcrowding. Still, this rezoning faces intense backlash, from both sides of the segregating line. Poorer parents of color work hard to build up their children’s schools and do not want their children’s seats or resources to be taken from them, while wealthier white parents do not want to have their children moved to underperforming school districts in an attempt to decrease perceived inequality. While rezoning would be the simplest solution, it ends up being the most political, as school districts can determine property values.

Other schools are reserving a certain number of seats for students of different districts, trying to ensure that there will be students from different backgrounds in attendance. Charter schools are often known to have a majority black/Hispanic population, to prove that they can be provided a good education. Some politicians would like to implement controlled choice, a middle-ground between school choice and having children go to their local schools. School choice allows students to apply to high schools all over the city, but because each high school has various requirements, many children in poorer middle schools are left at a disadvantage either due their schools not having necessary programs or just a lack of information. Controlled choice would still allow students to apply to schools around the city, but would involve the district administration making sure that the school’s population reflected the community’s diversity. A plan like this has worked in numerous cities after segregation was declared illegal, and did not lead to white flight or any other drastic outcomes the way policies like forced busing did(Colette).

Some organizations are trying to make do with the current situation, and are instead working to make sure that students do speak about race in class, and that teachers are prepared to deal with students from all various backgrounds. One such organization is Border Crossers, which instructs elementary school teachers on how to discuss race in classrooms. As the executive director of Border Crossers, Jaime-Jin Lewis said, “You don’t want kids learning about sex on the playground. You don’t want them to learn about race and class and power on the playground [either].” 

There is one thing that everyone agrees on: change will not take place immediately, and it will be a long journey towards integration. We live in a society that claims that all children will have the same opportunities and ability to succeed, regardless of class or race. But given the major discrepancies, it quickly becomes clear that our children are not getting the same results, and that these results are largely separated along the lines of race and class. At this point, we have to face the music: our children are not getting the quality of education they deserve, oftentimes due to things that we consider to not have an impact on our lives, and it is having real world effects long past the time they leave the education system. Until then, raising awareness is the most important thing we can do.

Works Cited

Collette, Matt. “This Model Helped Desegregate Schools in Boston and San Francisco. Could It Work in NYC?” Slate Magazine. N.p., 20 July 2015. Web. 25 April 2017.

Cox, Amanda, Matthew Bloch, and Motoko Rich. “Money, Race and Success: How Your School District Compares.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

Kleinfeld, N. R. “”Why Don’t We Have Any White Kids?”” The New York Times 11 May 2012: n. pag. Nytimes.com. 11 May 2012. Web. 24 Apr. 2017.

“New York Extreme Segregation” Journal of School Health 6.7 (2014): 5.New York Extreme Segregation. UCLA. Web.

“Training Educators To #DISRUPTRACISM.” Border Crossers. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.