New York Times: A School Admissions Process That Caused Segregation Fell Apart in Weeks
When New York City became the national epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic, its once-sacrosanct practice of sorting thousands of children into selective public schools suddenly collapsed: The metrics that dictate admissions evaporated as schools shuttered.
Then, the city erupted in protest over the killing of George Floyd, and the fact that the proudly progressive city is home to one of the nation’s most racially divided school districts took on fresh urgency.
New York is now inadvertently running an experiment in how to operate without high-stakes admissions screens. Some hope that a looming decision on how schools will admit students into top schools this fall could lead to integration long after the pandemic ends and the protests ebb.