Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

desegregation

First Person

New York
August 28, 2018

As an advocate, I want District 15’s school integration plan to move forward. As a dad, I want it no less.

It's justified as a means of rewarding elementary-schoolers’ “work.” But the system just favors the privileged, and I don’t want my white son to think that's normal.
New York
August 15, 2018

Carranza aims to speed up anti-bias training for educators, calling it a ‘cornerstone’ of school improvement

The chancellor's goal is to compress the original four-year roll out of the anti-bias training to two.

talking SHSAT

New York
August 13, 2018

Fair and objective or useless and biased? A Chalkbeat guide to the case for and against New York City’s specialized high school test

When Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to scrap the exam that serves as the sole entrance criteria for New York City’s…

Gifted gap

New York
July 17, 2018

To integrate specialized high schools, are gifted programs part of the problem or the solution?

As debate has erupted in recent weeks over Mayor Bill de Blasio’s proposal to overhaul admissions to the city’s most prestigious specialized…

Chalkbeat explains

National
July 9, 2018

How school desegregation efforts could change, or not, after DeVos’s move to scrap Obama-era guidance on race

The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw guidance dealing with race in school admissions last week wasn’t just about…

stump speech

New York
June 22, 2018

New York City schools Chancellor Richard Carranza on segregation, national politics, and being Mexican-American

In his two months on the job, Chancellor Richard Carranza has left little room to doubt how he thinks and feels about…

Student Sentiments

New York
June 6, 2018

The scene at Stuyvesant: Students who’ve succeeded at SHSAT wary of new plan, though some want change

As politicians and parents take sides over a new plan to scrap the specialized high school test, students at the center of the controversy wrestle with the issue.

Take the test

New York
June 4, 2018

Everybody is talking about the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test. Here’s what it looks like

The test stands at the center of a contentious debate that blew open last weekend over the stark underrepresentation of black and Hispanic students there.

sorting the students

New York
June 2, 2018

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Our specialized schools have a diversity problem. Let’s fix it.

We are living with monumental injustice, de Blasio writes.

Compare and Contrast

New York
May 24, 2018

Comparing the Upper West Side and Harlem integration plans: Here’s how schools, admissions offers could change

Following an uproar over a plan to integrate Manhattan’s District 3, the Department of Education introduced three more proposals to change the makeup…

making plans

New York
May 17, 2018

Controversial integration plan for Upper West Side middle schools changes, but it’s unclear whether more parents will get on board

“Here’s the problem: Maybe instead of there being four desirable middle schools, there should be fifteen."

petition watch

New York
May 3, 2018

Watching the Manhattan desegregation debate unfold, a Brooklyn mom amasses support for bigger changes

With her petition against screened middle schools, Kelly Bare said she wanted "to put out an antidote to some of the ugliness that’s out there."

First Person

New York
May 1, 2018

I taught at a nonselective New York City school. Your assumptions about low-scoring students are wrong.

What is it that children of wealthy parents have earned that kids who score a level 2 on the state exam with no extra help have not?

spotlight

New York
April 30, 2018

Meet the NYC principal in the spotlight for defending desegregation against angry parents

Zymeck has spent his 26-year teaching career entirely at the Computer School, becoming an educator later in life after working on Wall Street and as a legal assistant.

a primer

New York
April 27, 2018

A Chalkbeat cheat sheet: What’s going on with Upper West Side desegregation

Here’s a primer to the controversy that suddenly has everyone talking about state tests, middle school admissions, and privilege.

making plans

New York
April 25, 2018

Push to curb academic segregation on the Upper West Side generates a backlash — and support

“We are not offering all students equity and access across all the district,” said District 3 Superintendent Ilene Altschul. “We need to do something.”

Starting young

New York
March 16, 2018

These 11-year-old Brooklyn students are asking New York City to do something about segregated schools

While they learned about the history of segregation, a group of Brooklyn 11-year-olds took a good look around their classrooms and realized their…

Road trip

New York
March 7, 2018

Coming to a borough near you: Mayor de Blasio’s School Diversity Advisory Group hits the road with a series of town halls

The group will kick off a series of town hall meetings on Thursday in the Bronx, the first in a tour of public workshops that will take place in every borough.

money matters

New York
February 12, 2018

When diversity backfires: How schools can lose funding as they try to integrate

For years, M.S. 442 Carroll Gardens School for Innovation served mostly low-income students. But with more well-off families picking the Brooklyn school than ever before,…

work ahead

New York
January 30, 2018

Who’s who on New York City’s School Diversity Advisory Group

The task given to the group, which began meeting last month, is to evaluate the city’s current proposals and recommend additional ways to promote school integration.

the right mix

New York
January 25, 2018

How to integrate Manhattan middle schools? This parent says make them enroll a mix of low- and high-achievers

Shino Tanikawa is part of a small but growing group of advocates trying to combat segregation in New York City by reforming how students are assigned to schools

student perspective

New York
December 26, 2017

New York City students share why they’re fighting for school integration

New York City schools are among the most segregated in the country, and students are playing a growing role in the budding movement to do something about that.

change up

New York
December 11, 2017

Just as Lower East Side integration plan takes off, superintendent who helped craft it steps down

The longtime superintendent of the Manhattan community district where parents pushed for a plan to desegregate the local schools is stepping down just as the…

pushing integration

New York
December 6, 2017

New York City must move faster to combat school segregation, lawmakers say

Ahead of a city council hearing Thursday where lawmakers are set to grill the de Blasio administration on its plan…

Choosing integration

New York
November 29, 2017

In a district aiming for integration, can New York City sway parents’ school choices?

New York City officials are hoping that an unused corner of a Lower East Side elementary school will help achieve what has long eluded this…

work ahead

New York
November 20, 2017

Five months in, crucial part of New York City’s school diversity plan begins to take shape

Five months after New York City officials announced a much-anticipated plan to address school segregation, an advisory group that is supposed to help put…

Busing Ban

National
November 16, 2017

As school districts push for integration, decades-old federal rule could thwart them

Districts across the country want to use federal money for school buses to help with desegregation, but an old spending restriction could get in the way.

another round

New York
November 14, 2017

In a growing push to promote school integration, New York announces new round of grants

The state will award up to 30 districts with the new grants, whose purpose has expanded beyond just economic integration.

moving forward

New York
October 26, 2017

With critical parents now on board, New York City will move forward with district-wide diversity plan

The New York City education department has finally won over some parent advocates who said officials disregarded the community’s vision for an integration plan.

first steps

New York
September 12, 2017

Prodded by advocates, city unveils district-wide integration plan for Lower East Side

The plan’s goal is for each school’s share of disadvantaged students to match the district’s.

First Person

Tennessee
September 11, 2017

I covered Tennessee’s ed beat for Chalkbeat. Here’s what I learned.

Reporter Grace Tatter shares six things about public education that she learned on the job at the Statehouse — and now takes with her to graduate school.

Questioning Columbus

New York
August 4, 2017

What New York City students learned about Christopher Columbus when their own classroom was ‘discovered’

In order to truly integrate, advocates say educators need to take a close look at the lessons they teach.

diverse charters

New York
July 7, 2017

In launching new charter schools, former Success Academy lawyer aims for integration

Given her close ties to Success, Emily Kim’s schools are likely to be closely watched.

Low bar?

New York
June 28, 2017

New York City’s school diversity goals could be met just through changing demographics, report finds

When New York City recently released its plan to spur school diversity, advocates praised the city for setting specific goals while skeptics said the…

pipeline problems

New York
June 21, 2017

City pols’ report questions the fairness of starting new gifted classes in third grade

Most gifted programs start in kindergarten, with admission based on the results of formal tests.

making plans

New York
June 6, 2017

New York City is finally releasing its school diversity plan. Here’s what it says about pre-K and middle school admissions

Whether either change will lead to significant integration is an open question.

demanding action

New York
May 30, 2017

City Councilmen Brad Lander and Ritchie Torres sign on to letter calling for citywide plan to desegregate schools

The city is expected to release a "bigger vision" plan by June to encourage school diversity.

By the numbers

New York
May 24, 2017

NYC middle schools, pre-Ks meet diversity targets — and more high schools join initiative to spur integration

The four middle schools in the diversity program all met -- or surpassed -- their set-aside targets in making offers to incoming students.

survey says

Indiana
May 17, 2017

A new study shows where people live — not school districts — is to blame for continuing segregation in Indiana

This is true even as Indiana sees a growing share of non-white students. IU conducted the study along with the Civil Rights Project at UCLA.

making plans

New York
May 11, 2017

Mayor de Blasio: I can’t ‘wipe away 400 years of American history’ in diversifying schools

After promising a “bigger vision” for creating more diverse schools, Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday seemed to temper expectations for the city’s soon-to-be-released plan…

The big sort

New York
May 5, 2017

Extreme academic sorting brings vastly different graduation rates in New York City high schools

High school graduation rates vary by about 38 percentage points among New York City schools, depending on the school’s admissions method. That’s according to…

changing city

Colorado
April 27, 2017

The thorny problem of segregated schools and Denver’s newest plan to address it

Denver Public Schools' plan for a new committee to address school integration unfolds as a new report illuminates the district's segregation problem.

making plans

New York
April 19, 2017

With New York City expected to unveil school diversity plan soon, advocates want the public to have a say

Advocates will ask the city to include “robust public involvement” in any diversity plan the city puts forward.

apply here

New York
February 28, 2017

How many students apply to each NYC school, how many get in, and where do they come from? We could soon find out

A proposed bill would require the city to report more information about school applications, including the zip codes of students who are accepted and rejected.

words matter

New York
February 14, 2017

NYC Chancellor Carmen Fariña on pre-K diversity struggles: ‘This is parent choice’

Chancellor Carmen Fariña is again drawing criticism from school integration advocates — this time for appearing to excuse racially segregated pre-K programs as…

the right mix

New York
February 10, 2017

How two Manhattan moms are trying to convince their peers that integration is good for everyone

Their effort is rooted in an understanding of how race and class impact student achievement, and how academic screening can shut vulnerable students out.
National
December 22, 2016

Race Matters: How America’s schools wrestled with segregation in 2016

In a year where race dominated the national conversation about identity and equality, American education systems grappled with issues of integration and segregation.

Not over

New York
December 7, 2016

The fight continues: Parents file appeal in Upper West Side school rezoning

The ongoing fight has come to symbolize a dual problem: deep segregation in many schools, and a zoning process that makes it hard, if not impossible, to integrate them.

done deal

New York
November 22, 2016

Finally, a school rezoning plan for the Upper West Side is approved

After months of debate, the District 3 Community Education Council approved a controversial plan to alleviate overcrowding and integrate schools on the Upper West Side.

Segregation now

Tennessee
October 27, 2016

Fifty years after landmark Coleman report, does diversity in schools still matter?

Diversity in schools still matters, perhaps more than ever, according to a panel of experts convened by Vanderbilt University.
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