By the way, I read the book. It was a little disappointing, at least in terms of matching my interests.
The authors go out of the way to point out that exam schools are racially diverse in ways you might not expect (more African-Americans than the population as a whole).
OK, that's surprising. But it turns out its very driven by how they define an exam school -- Louisville Central High Career Academy gets lumped in with TJ.
Yes, and that's why the NAACP filed a lawsuit today:
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york...ity-elite-high-schools-article-1.1169240NAACP claims discriminatory admission practices at city's elite high schools
BY BEN CHAPMAN / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2012
The NAACP has filed a bombshell complaint with the U.S. Department of Education, alleging discriminatory admission practices at the city’s elite high schools.
In a blistering document delivered to the feds Thursday morning, the NAACP accused the city of barring black and Latino students from eight of its “best public schools,” including Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan, where only 1% of students are black. “Black and Latino students don’t see opportunity at places like Stuyvesant because of the admissions process,” said NAACP attorney Rachel Kleinman. “It’s not fair and it’s bad policy.”
The city’s Specialized High Schools Admissions Test is the only method that is used to judge students for admission to the eight elite high schools.
The NAACP believes the grueling exam is unfair to black and Latino students because they are denied admission “at rates far higher than other racial groups.” Nearly 31% of white students and 35% of Asian students who take the test are offered seats at the top schools, compared with just 5% of black students and 6.7% of Latinos.
The NAACP doesn’t specify how the test discriminates against blacks and Latinos, but Kleinman said those students may lack tutoring and other resources. Education officials hit back against the NAACP’s complaint, arguing the test is color-blind.
“We want all of our students to have opportunities to prepare for the test,” said agency spokeswoman Deidrea Miller.
