In recent months, the New York City high school admissions process has, once again, been on my mind. Having gone through this process in the past, I thought I was familiar with it, but it was almost unrecognizable more recently, potentially even operating beyond the realm of federal law. The system in its present state brings to mind atrocious dystopias from stories such as Alice Glaser’s “The Tunnel Ahead” and Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” in all the worst ways. Somehow, the fearmongering from the far-right on “the spread of communism” in our country because of the “woke” people sounds a bit less unreasonable after considering the true scope of the unfairness in the admissions process.
When I partook in the process, it was relatively simple. Perform well on the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), and go to one of those, or get accepted to a regular high school, based on grades and the like, or go to a regional/zoned high school. In my case, I performed well on the SHSAT and wound up at Brooklyn Tech. Not everyone winds up as lucky. That is why the non-specialized schools are critical to NYC students. Merit must decide which student goes to which school. Those who are the best and brightest, but for one reason or another end up not going to a specialized high school, must have good opportunities given to them. Herein lies the problem.
If we consider how the regular high school application process used to work, we would see students ranking schools and schools ranking students based on their academic performance and merit. This is logical when there are many applicants competing for one seat. It is also no longer the complete story. The City of New York’s unelected Department of Education officials randomly assign each applicant a random number. This number determines who gets considered the first for admission to a particular school. If School X wants to accept students with a 90% or greater grade in Math, in a conventional system, applicants would be ranked based on their grade, with the top applicants being accepted, bringing their, say, 99-100% grade with them.
With the new system, let’s assign two students numbers. Suppose, Student A has lottery number A, while Student B has lottery number B, student C has lottery number C, and so forth. Student A, with a 91% grade in Math is considered first for admission and is accepted. Let’s suppose that the school only has two seats available. Student B has a 94% grade in Math and is also accepted. Suddenly, Student C, with their 99% grade in Math, is rejected! This rejection is solely due to the lottery system and would affect their application process to most schools.
Consider the effect this random number now has on a student’s life. They fail to get accepted into the high school of their dreams (and not due to a lack of merit), find it more difficult to get into their dream college, and later, more difficult to get the job they want. How can we stand idly by and watch this happen in the name of equity and diversity? There is no fairness in a system like this. A student’s success should not be in the hands of luck. Consider the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Are the poor students with worse lottery numbers really being given equal protection under the law? No! They are being denied deserved opportunities simply due to luck!
The NYC DOE has overstepped its bounds and has acted with blatant disdain towards the United States Constitution by instituting dystopian and dysfunctional methods for high school admissions, in the name of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Of course, top-tier schools in NYC have a big problem with diversity, but to resolve this, we must consider the root problem, not attempt to look good politically towards a target demographic, while ruining the educational dreams of many deserving students. Equity does not need to go against the concepts of meritocracy when it comes to measuring academic achievement.
As the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This quote is very applicable here. We must stop looking for easy and politically convenient solutions to diversity and equity issues and look towards difficult, but quality, solutions. I urge all New Yorkers to express their thoughts on this issue publicly and to challenge the NYC Department of Education to reverse these changes and instead implement solutions that can actually improve educational outcomes, such as promoting the DREAM program for SHSAT tutoring. Perhaps the City can even expand the DREAM program by involving the private industry, which can likely operate with greater efficiency. Lastly, I urge the DOE to see the grave injustice these policies cause and remedy them as soon as possible to minimize the damage. It is not too late. Diversity and equity can be adequately addressed without eliminating meritocracy.
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