Plan to diversify elite NYC schools criticized by Asians

NEW YORK — A plan to diversify New York City’s most elite public high schools is drawing fire from the minority group that has come to dominate the schools in recent years: Asian-Americans.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last weekend that he wants to scrap the test that governs admission to eight specialized high schools including Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science, calling the test “a roadblock to justice, progress and academic excellence.”

Fewer than 10 percent of students who score well enough to gain admission to the schools are black or Latino, despite the fact that those two groups make up two-thirds of the city’s 1 million public school students.

“It’s not fair. It’s not inclusive. It’s not open to all,” de Blasio said.

But such a change might mean fewer seats for Asian-American students, who now make up 62 percent of the pupils.

“This policy causes chaos in the Asian-American community and we’re here to reject this policy,” John Chan, head of the Coalition of Asian-Americans for Civil Rights, said.

Opponents of the proposed change accused the mayor of pitting minority groups against each other.

“For many of these Asian-American families I represent, they’re mostly new American families, new immigrants who came here,” Assemblyman Ron Kim, a Queens Democrat, said. “They’re just following the rules that were set. For the chancellor to imply they own the admissions test, I think it’s completely uncalled for. They didn’t create this system.”

Tough entrance standards, a rigorous curriculum and a reputation for graduating some of the world’s top scholars have made the city’s exam schools highly sought after among high performing students.