New enrollment numbers show a plan to boost integration at some Manhattan middle schools made a difference, albeit an incremental one.
Under the plan for District 3, which includes the Upper West Side and Southern Harlem, students from low-income families and those who struggle academically get priority for a quarter of the seats at each school.
Some middle schools made progress towards that goal. At popular Booker T. Washington, the percentage of sixth graders in the priority group doubled, from nine to 18 percent. And at West End Secondary School, the percentage of students from the priority group more than tripled, from five to 16 percent. Out of 16 schools, 11 moved closer to the diversity “target.” But some schools with a historically high proportion of students from low-income families saw those numbers climb even higher.
Zoom into on the spreadsheet below to see the Department of Education's data. (FRL stands for "Free and Reduced Lunch"):
“I’m cautiously optimistic,” said Kim Watkins, president of District 3’s Community Education Council.
The integration plan generated some fiery exchanges with parents who worried their children would be less likely to get into the district’s most popular schools. Shortly after stepping into his new role, Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza waded into the debate with a controversial retweet.
Despite the fireworks, the enrollment numbers showed white parents did not leave the school system in droves. In fact, the percentage of white families sending their kids to the district’s middle schools actually went up, from 30 to 32 percent.
Watkins said she was pleased the district “made strides” at some of the neighborhood’s most coveted schools, and that white families did not flee. Now she said she’s hoping the Department of Education follows through with promises to support equity beyond the enrollment changes, including giving schools funds to support students who are struggling academically.
“The District 3 Diversity Plan was developed from the ground up and the community’s thoughtful recommendations have been critical to the success of this plan,” said Department of Education spokesperson Katie O’Hanlon. “We are supportive of their community-driven plan and are continuing to work with District 3 to identify areas where we can collaborate in an effort to better integrate their schools.”
The Upper West Side plan did not transform school demographics as much as Brooklyn’s District 15 (which includes Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, and Sunset Park) which eliminated selective admissions “screens” like attendance, grades or test scores as well as giving students from low-income families priority. District 28 in Queens, covering parts of Kew Gardens, Forest Hills, Rego Park and Jamaica, is starting the process to determine what their integration plan will be.
Jessica Gould is a reporter in the newsroom at WNYC. You can follow her on Twitter at @ByJessicaGould.
