Schools

I have a tough time believing that the zoned elementary and middle schools can get the students who come with multiple obstacles excited about learning to the degree that they can compete.

Although they target a subset, the schools homeowner mentions seem to be our best shot at creating upward class mobility: Prep for Prep, A Better Chance, Oliver Scholars, etc.

Agree, the change must come from the elementary and middle schools to prepare all students to compete for the most selective seats.

In the interim, changing the admissions process is a terrible idea. The kids who get in now work very hard to do so. If they give up their afternoons and weekend to cram for the test, they have proven that they are willing to put the work in to be eligible for a seat. It is not sufficient to be good enough, the applicants must be close to perfect.

It is my understanding that the test and admission criteria is race blind and is not responsive to political pressure. Let's keep it that way.

Spot on.

Here are a lot of citywide statistics:

http://www.ibo.nyc.ny.us/iboreports/2014edindicatorsreport.pdf

However, as we have discussed, no child goes to a school that represents the city. So, the stats are interesting, but not real relevant to the average parent.

Without being this succinct, this article takes the stance that without better parents, the schools can't succeed: http://www.citylimits.org/conversations/259/improving-school-engagement

Members of the City Council have decided to spend a lot of time discussing school segregation:

http://www.gothamgazette.com/index.php/government/5390-new-york-city-council-takes-on-school-segregation

There are no easy solutions....

I am not optimistic.    Here's some context:   

Given the all of the factors described by the Daily News, I can't imagine that the school system would not be segregated.

I view it mostly in terms of wealth and power, because (in my view) the phenomena seems to occur throughout the world even when hue is the same.

The Daily News mentions Phoenix and Houston as US cities where the black population earns a closer amount to whites, 70%. There, my hope is that black communities are regarded as "ethnic enclaves", as opposed to "ghettos".

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/sof/summary/v087/87.1.smith.html

In my view, cities like Houston and Phoenix have a far better shot at allowing voluntary integration than NYC.

Note, I don't actually assume that income is a major factor behind power. I suspect it actually is closely tied to factors like parental education and wealth, which is different than income.

I'll jabber about wealth. The aggregate wealth differences between whites and blacks are quite stark:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0415918472?

I suspect the aggregate wealth differences exist/persist in cities such as
Houston and Phoenix, and are large factors behind school segregation there.

Having a strong G&T program, along with coming macro changes (ie gentrification) is a good way to thwart a charter school co-location.

Many schools won't have these things on their side.

DeBlasio says he isn't a fan of closing down schools.

It's strange to me to hear people talk about school proficiency levels and the strength of their respective programs as if these were the same thing.  You can have the best program in the world, and your proficiency will still only be no better than the aptitude and willingness of your students to learn.

Oh, Klein. What a legacy: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/26/new-york-schools-segregated_n_5034455.html

This technique of "not closing a school" isn't as clever as NYS having SUNY take over a failing hospital to "not close it", but it is still a little clever:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/08/nyregion/in-deal-staff-at-2-of-new-yorks-lowest-performing-schools-must-reapply-for-jobs.html?_r=2

As more middle class blacks leave the city, I suspect it will be harder for the remaining middle class blacks to live in (and/or be a part of creating) good school districts.

...regardless of the age of those leaving, or their reasons.

These 40 parents have a thought out plan, which is very similar to the one discussed previously:

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150129/boerum-hill/brownstone-brooklyn-parents-aim-take-over-struggling-middle-school

Our new superintendent is not going to be caught advocating for charter schools, especially not the "art variety" that cater to children who would otherwise attend private schools. The dynamics of the district do not support such a position.

While they won't receive the superintendent's support either, the "discipline first" (Explore, Exceed, Success) schools will continue to thrive as a result of parental emotional support, corporate financial support, and "upstate politician" support.

Perhaps because they are unaware of the consequences, the public schools will continue to run campaigns that the "discipline first" charter schools will use as evidence of them being opposed to "excellence" and "standards":