City Council Speaker – and mayoral hopeful – Christine Quinn defended the NAACP’s claim that the entrance exam to city’s best high schools is keeping black and Latino students out, says the New York Post.
The NAACP have charged that nearly 31 percent of white students and 35 percent of Asian students who take the entrance exams are welcomed to the best schools, compared with only 5 percent of black students and 6.7 percent of Latinos.
“I can’t speak to the legal issues…but I think the NAACP has a point we should take a look at,” Quinn told radio host John Gambling. “I don’t think the only way to find the best students is through one singular test.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg scoffed at the NAACP’s claim, though, calling the admissions process “as fair as can be.”
“I do not think state law should be changed in terms of these specialty schools. These are schools designed for the best and the brightest,” Bloomberg said. “I don’t care what people say. Life isn’t always fair…If some kids want to work harder and some parents are able to focus and get more help for their kids, those kids are beneficiaries.”
