Time to diversify New York City’s Discovery Program

City & State New York ^ | JUNE 23, 2017 | LARRY CARY

[edwinland]

“Disadvantaged” has traditionally been defined by the city to mean either a student from a low-income family or from a family recently emigrated from a non-English speaking country. In the 1970s and 1980s significant numbers of black and Latino students qualified for Discovery. In 1970, 22 percent of Brooklyn Tech’s students were admitted through Discovery. That year 14 percent and 16 percent of the students admitted to Bronx Science and Stuyvesant, respectively, were admitted through Discovery. When the law mandating a test was first being considered, state legislators rejected putting a 14 percent cap on the number of students who could be admitted through Discovery and left it completely open. By 1995 a large majority of Brooklyn Tech’s student body was black and Hispanic, helped only in part by Discovery.

Since then, the demographic make-up of New York City has changed. The Asian-American community – which now sends the largest percentage of students to these schools – is just as poor as the African American and Latino communities. This means that using low income family status as the main screen for eligibility for Discovery will not likely yield the racial and ethnic diversity we need and want.

[edwinland]

This article is one year old but the topic is in the news today, as Mayor Bill De Blasio is now implementing the changesthis article proposes to the admissions criteria for New York's exam high schools to "yield the racial and ethnic diversity we need and want."

Pay close attention. African-Americans were benefiting from the boost for disadvantaged students in the 1990's but "Since then, the demographic make-up of New York City has changed and African American students lost out.

The author is so focused on the "diversity" issue that he didn't even notice that he accidentally let slip the most damming possible admission for a Democrat, namely, that African Americans are the primary losers from our current system of unrestrained immigration.

[RedMonqey]

Gee, How’s that “importing a new poverty class” working out for you, New Yorkers?(No, not you Mr Mayor and fellow Democrats. You are happy as a pig in slop!)

[2banana]

Why no diversity in NYC NBA Teams?

Why not forced quotas?

[ActresponsiblyinVA]

Diversity is when you have people who do not look alike, but all think alike....liberals.