Posted on 01/16/2017 12:21:38 PM PST by EinNYC
City Education Department officials have launched a $1.6 million plan to bring more black and Hispanic students into Advanced Placement courses, the Daily News has learned.
The city’s new Lead Higher program aims to bring 1,400 of these students at two dozen public schools into AP classes that are often dominated by white and Asian students.
Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña said the program will help shrink the achievement gap faced by black and Hispanic students, who enroll in AP classes and pass AP exams at lower rates than their white and Asian peers.
“This is an exciting initiative that reflects our commitment to diversity and inclusion in our classrooms,” Fariña said.
“Equity and excellence means ensuring all students have access to rigorous AP courses, and are enrolled in those courses and reaping the benefits.”
Students who pass AP exams in a variety of subjects ranging from calculus to U.S. history may receive college credits or special consideration in college admissions.
But the valuable classes have been mostly available at schools that enroll more white and Asian students compared with those that enroll more black and Hispanic kids.
A 2013 report found that white and Asian students attended city high schools with twice as many AP courses, compared with schools attended by black and Hispanic students.
Mayor de Blasio outlined a plan to address the inequality in 2015, dubbed “AP for All,” that brought new AP classes to 63 high schools in 2016.
Under de Blasio’s plan, 75% of students will have access to at least five AP classes by fall 2018. By fall 2021, students at all high schools will have access to at least five AP classes.
The Lead Higher program builds on that effort by adding tutoring, teacher training and more AP seats targeted at black and Hispanic students at high schools across the five boroughs starting in September.
Another seven schools will roll out added AP resources under Lead Higher in 2019. If the program yields strong results it may be expanded further.
The city is splitting the cost of the effort and rolling out the program in partnership with a Seattle-based nonprofit called Equal Opportunity Schools.
The challenges faced by black and Hispanic students who wish to earn AP credits are severe.
Just 7,386 black and Hispanic students passed AP exams in the 2014-15 school year, compared to 14,323 white and Asian students. Black and Hispanic kids account for roughly 70% of all city school students.
Melanie Katz, principal of Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Brooklyn, said she hopes the Lead Higher program will help her add another 60 black and Hispanic students to AP classes in 2017.
“We’re reaching out to students, their families and the community to let them know the classes are out there,” Katz said. “The message is, ‘you can do it and we will help you through it.’ ”
More of life’s losers...
You can’t address the Achievement Gap until you address the Ambition Gap.
All the money in the world won’t motivate someone who doesn’t want to be motivated.
It costs that much to water down the courses?
Obviously we need to lower the standard so that more of them pass. Problem solved./s
Their next project surely will be spending millions on trying to fit square pegs into round holes.
Drop the AP classes. It would be far better to have enrichment and tutoring opportunities for students who excel. AP is just an excuse to control the curriculum. For things like high-level science projects, achieve it through clubs. There’s no point in AP if it’s watered down for affirmative action considerations.
Advance Placement can be a death trap for students graduating from lousy public schools.
I have a better plan. End all remaining remnants of the great society, which splintered the minority nuclear family. Then time will fix the issue by the reemergence of the minority family.
It’s called “charter schools,” which Mayor Dum Dum has been trying to kill since day one.
These IDIOTS do EVERYTHING except FIX the K-12 problem by opening charter schools, how in the HELL are these kids going to succeed in advanced courses when they BARELY made it through high school!!! ALWAYS THROWING money at the WRONG problems!!!
My kid (HS junior) has dropped all of his AP classes and now doing duel enrollment at the local college. Scored a 30 on the ACT. He LOVES it and is thinking about graduating early.
We WILL prove that everyone is equal in every way - no matter what it takes......
It’s not about education but diversity, infiltration. And just what is Advanced Placement anyway? Some sort of feel good stuff?
“City Education Department officials have launched a $1.6 million plan to bring more black and Hispanic students into Advanced Placement courses, the Daily News has learned.”
In a related story, white students who were frequently jumped and beaten by “disadvantaged” classmates were told to put some ice on that and “check your privilege”.
Black kids from failing, violent inner city schools and fatherless families perform poorly as they progress through the system. ‘Cause whitey.
Why cant these blacks and hispanics make the grade with out millions of dollars of help that others dont get? And why would anyone want to hire them knowing they are dependent on being propped up to be on the same level as the rest of the field?
Beuller ??!
And the Effort Gap!
Reminds me of the Kansas City experiment of the 80s. A federal judge took partial control over the Kansas City, Missouri, School District (KCMSD) on the grounds that it was an unconstitutionally segregated district with inferior facilities and the students were performing badly. The judge ordered the state and the district to spend billions of dollars over 12 years. The goal was to build new facilities , integrate the classrooms and bring up test scores. After 12 years the test scores for the blacks did not increase.
Well, just like a rising tide raises all boats, a falling tide lowers all boats.
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