Originally Posted by Val
Added: something I find particularly objectionable about the NYC thing is that they're going to reserve the spots for students from low-income schools, as opposed to low-income students.

What does this mean?

From the NY Times:

Originally Posted by NY Times
And who makes it into the program will also change. Students are currently eligible if they meet the city Education Department�s criteria for being disadvantaged. But under the new plan, only students who attended high-poverty middle schools will be accepted.

This means that low-income Asian students who don't go to a low-income school won't qualify. Instead, they'll qualify to be denied admission because they aren't poor in the right way. Note that a previous story in the Times said that some of these families sacrifice buying food to pay for tutoring.

I do wonder why they are reserving slots for 'low income schools' instead of 'low income students' in low income schools. Low income students (of all races) in low income schools are more disadvantaged than low income students in higher income schools because the education received in low income schools is simply not on par with that from higher income schools which tend to have better teachers and resources (including after school support). Low income students in higher income schools could also be said to be more disadvantaged than their higher income counterparts in the same school.

However, if the education received and resources available in all K-12 schools were the same, affordable after school prep for all were available and all parents were aware of what is needed to give each child a fair shot then no slots will be needed for low income students.