NAACP Files a Discrimination Complaint Against NYC Specialized High Schools

September 27th, 2012 - By Tonya Garcia

Stuyvesant High School. Image: AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

The NAACP Legal Defense Fund has filed a complaint with the US. Department of Education stating that the admissions exam for New York City’s eight elite public schools discriminates against black and Latino students. Among those schools is Stuyvesant High School and Bronx High School of Science, which Reuters points out, have both taught Nobel Prize winners, celebrities and even U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The NAACP says the admissions process is unfair to everyone because it disregards all other factors except for the test. At Stuyvesant, there are 967 incoming students but only 32 are Latino and 19 are African American. More than two-thirds of the school population is Asian.

Quoting the complaint, NBC local news reports, “The admissions policy for the specialized high schools does not fully capture any student’s academic merit or his or her potential.” An investigation by the US Department of Education could find a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which could lead to a withholding of federal funds.

A statement from the city says that “state law requires” that entry to these schools be based “solely” on this test. But, “[t]he Department of Education has launched several initiatives to improve diversity, and last year, more black and Hispanic students were offered a seat in one of our specialized high schools than in the past two years.”

A former Stuyvesant student told Reuters that in the Asian community, parents are telling their kids about that test from an early age and the education system should do more to make sure other communities have the same knowledge. Getting all students into good schools should be a priority of the nation’s public school system, which is why so many parents are calling for education reform and greater access to charter schools.

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  • smart asian kid

    this article was a great laugh

  • Pingback: Specialized high schools may just change their requirements. | supsara

  • sabrina

    There are programs for minority students (like MSI) that prepares students for this exam 2+ years prior to them taking the exam. I actually was in this program! I was one point below the cutoff score to make it into Brooklyn Tech, but in the end, it all worked out because I still made it into a great college. Plus, my very few minority friends who went to Brooklyn Tech (and even the non minorites that went to Stuyvesant) didn’t have such a pleasant experience.
    So if you want these specialized schools to accept more minorites, great. But would they even be able to keep up once they’re in? If they can’t produce competent scores on the exam, how will they remain competant against their classmates with the cirriculum? Sometimes, potential isn’t good enough. So no, I don’t think “affirmative action” is necessary in this case.

    • sabrina

      minorities*

  • Guest

    In addition to celebs, Nobel Prize winners and US Attorney Generals, Stuyvesant has also put out homeless people. If you all recall the cannibal incident over the summer about the man that got his face eaten by another man who was supposedly high on bath salts, the victim went to Stuyvesant high school in his teen yrs.

  • Alexa

    I’m not buying it. If admission to the school is based solely on test scores then what’s the problem? If more blacks and Latinos want to REALLY get into the school then I’m sure they could if they worked harder. Sorry but the truth hurts, I grew up here in NYC and from what I remember ( I’m only 21) most black kids were to hung up on getting a specialized high school with its curriculum based on math and science. Now if we’re talking about LaGuardia which is a school based upon music / art / dance talent then that’s a different story.

    • Alexa

      *weren’t too hung up

    • Guest

      Who is to say they didn’t alter the test scores? It is easy to know who is asian and white simply by there names. ex. Jenny Park, Cindy Ng, Britney Sneiderman, Becky Bronstein. If they look at an exam booklet with the name Shamequa Williams, Daquan Johnson, Latoya Jackson then they know you are black and this is not the right school for you. The results of the test are mailed to the student’s current school or the student’s home but the students never get to see their exam booklets again.

      • Guest

        Also if I remember correctly these exams also ask you to bubble in your race.

    • Tired of racists

      Alexa, you don’t even know the difference between to and too. Why do you think you know what every single Black or Latin person in New York City does or wants. Let me guess, you are Italian right? Dumb and racist.

      • sabrina

        I’m pretty sure she’s black, so you’re a fool on that one. Secondly, I’m definitely black AND I AGREE! I grew up in NYC, and if these kids really did want to get into these schools, they would apply themselves!!!! I’ve seen them do it!! Thirdly, there’s no need for name calling because it’s not that serious! So GET YA LIFE!