Readers sound off on admissions tests, police stops, foster kids and more
Manhattan: The reason that there is such a low number of minority kids in the specialized high schools is economic rather than due to social dysfunction.
I gained admission to the Bronx High School of Science more than 40 years ago after an anonymous donor stepped forward and offered to pay for me to take a prep class at the urging of my classroom teacher.
When I sat for the test, I found it to be easy and told my dad I was confident I had passed.
Nowadays, students are paying for as much as three years of test prep after the sixth, seventh and eighth grades to prepare for the Specialized High School Admissions Test.
Some of the organizations offering test prep are the Khan Academy and Admissions Squad. The Hudson Guild also offers limited test prep, free, for a few months to a small group of kids.
I think it makes more sense to provide more money, possibly through crowdfunding, to enable more kids to take the prep classes rather than instituting a quota system whereby top minority kids would be admitted using portfolio assessment or other criteria. If this were to happen, these kids would be at a disadvantage relative to the kids admitted who had test prep. They might also be stigmatized once admitted to the school.
Educational non-profits or philanthropic-minded corporations could be approached about providing test prep funding. Get to it!