Inequality and Discrimination in New York State Schools

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July 19, 2015

 

Dear Regent, “I can’t wait two years for change.” This statement was made to to me recently by the Superintendent of a district that includes schools recently identified iden tified as “persistently struggling.” The Superintendent explained that they have repeatedly hosted both New York State and federal Department of Education visits. District personnel know very well how closely they are being scrutinized. The Superintendent has a very strong sense of urgency--he wants to turn things around, and turn them around fast. I appreciate the Superintendent’s urgency and agree that there needs to be more learning and more success not only in his “persistently struggling” schools but in many schools across the state. However, I am deeply concerned that the measures used to identify these sschools chools are discriminatory and in actuality further exacerbate some of the conditions that led to schools’ “failure” in the first place.  place.  I urge you to carefully consider the following points as you continue your discussions about the policy and regulations that will govern work in the state’s newly defined “persistently struggling schools.” ! 

“Persistently struggling schools” are intensely segregated—an average of 93% of the students enrolled in the 178 schools identified by Governor Cuomo as “failing” are members of racial or ethnic ethnic minority groups. Fifty-five of the 178 schools can be considered “apartheid schools” due to the fact that they have 99% - 100% minority enrollment.



The schools also serve disproportionate percentages of economically disadvantaged students, English language learners and special education students.



Since 2009 there have been many changes made to the grade 3-8 ELA and math assessments including content, format, length, the timing of administration, and the “standard process through which rawdetermined. scores are mapped to scale scores, and the cut scores setting” for different proficiency levels are



These changes have created a testing regime that discriminates against our neediest  students..  students



Graduation data also discriminates discriminates  against our neediest students due students due to the fact that only four year graduation rates are considered. Many English language learners learners and special education students require five years or more to successfully complete 22 credits and five Regents exams.



Because the state’s schools are intensely segregated, and a nd because the measures used to rate and rank schools discriminate against the very v ery students who enrolled in these schools, the ranking of the schools themselves is discriminatory.

 

  The charts that follow are based on a custom data download I obtained from the New York State education department, as well as 2013-14 school report cards. The bars represent districts according to the state’s “need to resources capacity” ratio, and the average (mean) characteristics of the 178 “failing” schools identified by Governor Gove rnor Cuomo in his spring of 2015 report, “The State of New York’s Failing Schools.” ! 

“Persistently struggling schools” are intensely segregated—on average 93% of their students are members of racial or ethnic minority groups. groups. Fifty-five of the 178 schools that were named in Governor Cuomo’s April 2015 report can be considered “apartheid schools” due to the fact that they have 99% - 100% 1 00% minority enrollment: !"# %&'()'* + ,-./0-12 3!/.)45-167

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The following table and line graphs graph s illustrate the same information for ELA: the explosion in the  percentage of minority students, economically disadvantaged students, special education students and English language learners scoring at Level One when the most recent (2013) change in cut scores was adopted. -./ $ 12 .4546 &778466 946:8 ;<:=>?>4@?A %++'

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  Our state’s intensely segregated and high poverty schools are filled with children who suffer profound disadvantages starting before birth with higher incidences of poor maternal nutrition and care. After birth these children children are more likely than others to be exposed to lead and vermin. They are more likely to experience insufficient insufficient health care, the absence of their  parents due to addiction, incarceration or other adult problems, and more. They are more likely to experience chaotic circumstances in their daily lives, and be exposed to gang culture and urban violence. These schools are also home to tens of thousands of new immigrants, many of whom enter school with little to no English or (at the secondary level) little to no English and significantly interrupted education. All of these children deserve to participate in rich and challenging educational programs. But they also require extensive supports before, during d uring and after school including school-based food, nutrition, health, dental and vision care programs, as well as social work and counseling. The regulations proposed for Receivership do not  incentivize  incentivize expansion of the complex web of supports and services required for success by b y impoverished students who have special needs and are learning in intensely segregated segregated schools. This takes both a philosophical sshift hift in our priorities as a state, as well as time and resources. In contrast, Superintendents across the state are under intense pressure simply to achieve rapid and significant gains in test scores. They don’t have either the time or the resources to effect the real  and  and deep deep change  change required to create or sustain long-term change in student learning and a nd success. In addition, the proposed regulations do not support expansion of a rich, well-rounded educational program, which includes science, social studies, the arts, physical education, athletics and more. Rather, the proposed regulations support intensive focus on ELA and math, test prep and testing. Students and teachers will be pushed har harder der than ever to achieve gains on discriminatory measures that undermine exploratory learning, discovery, creativity, collaboration and morale. Finally, I urge you to request from the Commissioner a report on the numerous incidents inciden ts of suspected by the though Department annually and after every cycle ofcheating testing.investigated It is an inevitable tState houghEducation unfortunate fact that as press pressure ureduring intensifies on a very small number of measures, individuals with access to the data driving those measures are increasingly motivated to “adjust” the data to their advantage. Please understand why I am unable to sign my name. Public education in New York State today is characterized by intense anxiety and fear. I share in that anxiety and fear. Specifically, I am very concerned about being vulnerable to discipline charges or dismissal for speaking out. The actions you take as a Regent could go a long way toward alleviating this fear and  beginning the process of healing for our schools, children, educators and communities.

 

Addendum: Governor Cuomo’s “Failing” schools that are are characterized by apartheid segregation (99% - 100% minority minority or non-white enrollment). Are the schools “failing” or has our society failed because educational segregation doesn’t work  for  for minority students living in  poverty? Data from 2013-14 NYS School Report Cards. P>J2<>?2 LQR P*

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