Brooklyn Lawmakers On The Move March 22, 2019 - BK State Senators Call For Open Dialogue On School Diversity, NYC Specialized High Schools

State Senators Velmanette Montgomery(D-Fort Greene, Boerum Hill, Red Hook, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Sunset Park, Gowanus, Park Slope), Kevin Parker (D-Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Ditmas Park, Kensington, Windsor Terrace, Park Slope)alongside State Senator Andrew Gounardes (D-Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Bensonhurst, Marine Park, Gerritsen Beach, Gravesend) announced their coordinated intent to conduct broad outreach on the issue of school diversity and admissions to New York City’s specialized high schools for the purpose of identifying problems and formulating plans to address such problems.

This past Monday, the New York City Department of Education (DOE) released the racial breakdown of the 2019-2020 admissions to the city’s eight specialized high schools including Brooklyn Technical High School. The admissions data is consistent with that of previous years, and continues to raise concerns of declining enrollment of black and Latinx students.

“The lack of diversity in specialized high schools is a symptom of systemic failures in our educational system and we cannot take this on by ourselves. It is very important that we reflect on why our young people are subjected to this high stakes environment and why parents see a handful of seats as being the only chance for their children to succeed,” said Montgomery.

To read the full story, visit https://www.kingscountypolitics.com/brooklyn-lawmakers-on-the-move-march-22-2019/