Ripped over admissions diversity

FAMILIES, advocates and elected officials bashed the city’s school diversity programs for doing too little at a City Council hearing Thursday.

Education officials revealed a plan in June to integrate city classrooms, including programs for demographic enrollment targets and ways to make it easier for busy families to apply to sought-after schools.

But critics at the Council hearing on the effort said it does too little, too late.

“The Department of Education’s response to de facto school segregation was delayed for years and years,” said Public Advocate Letitia James.

“And, when they finally released a plan, its lack of ambition was deeply disappointing.”

On Wednesday, Education Department officials said 42 city schools are using admissions targets to integrate their classrooms.

That’s up from 19 schools in 2016 and seven schools that piloted the city’s Diversity in Admissions program in the 2015.

There are about 1,800 public schools in the city.

In his testimony at the hearing, Deputy Schools Chancellor Josh Wallack admitted the city has a long way to go in integrating public schools, which are some of the most segregated in the nation.

“There will be no onesize-fits-all solution to this challenge,” said Wallack, who noted that a new, districtwide desegregation program is now underway in Manhattan.

“We believe that the most valuable work will be done through partnerships with families, educators and community leaders,” Wallack added.

Meanwhile, activists with the Coalition for Educational Justice rallied on the steps of City Hall as the hearing took place a few blocks away.

Protestors said the city failed to execute a plan to provide 600 city teachers with anti-bias training.

Education Department officials did not respond to requests for comment on the demonstrators’ accusations.