It’s entirely possible that she could have sent her kid down another path — the SHSAT route, the private school route — and wound up with a different kind of bad outcome and written an essay about that, instead. My kid loved his HS, but I have a friend whose daughter had an awful time there
September 21, 2026 at 1:32 AM
It’s entirely possible that she could have sent her kid down another path — the SHSAT route, the private school route — and wound up with a different kind of bad outcome and written an essay about that, instead. My kid loved his HS, but I have a friend whose daughter had an awful time there
where they were in the minority, since those schools are majority Asian, from varied backgrounds & class statuses. One thing I do think she should’ve mentioned is Prep 4 Prep, which steers a lot of Black academic achievers away from the SHSAT & into private schools, but the truth is
September 20, 2026 at 10:42 PM
where they were in the minority, since those schools are majority Asian, from varied backgrounds & class statuses. One thing I do think she should’ve mentioned is Prep 4 Prep, which steers a lot of Black academic achievers away from the SHSAT & into private schools, but the truth is
misleading: Mamdani wants to remove only 1 of 3 programs, the G&T entry track for kindergarteners at age 4-5, added only in 2021.
The existing 3rd grade G&T entry track is unaffected, SHSAT for high school also unaffected
Measuring at ages 4-5 is questionable to say the least.
The existing 3rd grade G&T entry track is unaffected, SHSAT for high school also unaffected
Measuring at ages 4-5 is questionable to say the least.
My wife is an elementary gifted ed specialist. The idea that gifted kids either don't exist or don't benefit from gifted education services is both wrong and harmful to those kids. Phasing out gifted programs is stupid. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/n...
Mamdani Says He Would Phase Out N.Y.C. Gifted Program for Early Grades
www.nytimes.com
October 2, 2025 at 6:39 PM
misleading: Mamdani wants to remove only 1 of 3 programs, the G&T entry track for kindergarteners at age 4-5, added only in 2021.
The existing 3rd grade G&T entry track is unaffected, SHSAT for high school also unaffected
Measuring at ages 4-5 is questionable to say the least.
The existing 3rd grade G&T entry track is unaffected, SHSAT for high school also unaffected
Measuring at ages 4-5 is questionable to say the least.
The PEP should vote no on renewing Pearson’s SHSAT contract tonight.
We cannot allow a system that unfairly disadvantages poor Black and brown kids to continue. Every child in NYC, and across the nation, deserves an exemplary education.
We cannot allow a system that unfairly disadvantages poor Black and brown kids to continue. Every child in NYC, and across the nation, deserves an exemplary education.
December 18, 2024 at 11:29 PM
The PEP should vote no on renewing Pearson’s SHSAT contract tonight.
We cannot allow a system that unfairly disadvantages poor Black and brown kids to continue. Every child in NYC, and across the nation, deserves an exemplary education.
We cannot allow a system that unfairly disadvantages poor Black and brown kids to continue. Every child in NYC, and across the nation, deserves an exemplary education.
Resident parking permits would solve the whole freaking thing. But it feels intractable the same way the carriage horses and the SHSAT are.
July 17, 2026 at 2:29 AM
Resident parking permits would solve the whole freaking thing. But it feels intractable the same way the carriage horses and the SHSAT are.
There is nothing I find more infuriating than on-line adaptive testing. It's pedagogically appalling to me.
For next year's SHSAT (test for some NYC HS):
1. You cannot go back and change an answer.
2. You cannot skip, bc each question determines the next one.
This is such a terrible way to test.
For next year's SHSAT (test for some NYC HS):
1. You cannot go back and change an answer.
2. You cannot skip, bc each question determines the next one.
This is such a terrible way to test.
March 16, 2026 at 6:00 PM
There is nothing I find more infuriating than on-line adaptive testing. It's pedagogically appalling to me.
For next year's SHSAT (test for some NYC HS):
1. You cannot go back and change an answer.
2. You cannot skip, bc each question determines the next one.
This is such a terrible way to test.
For next year's SHSAT (test for some NYC HS):
1. You cannot go back and change an answer.
2. You cannot skip, bc each question determines the next one.
This is such a terrible way to test.
NYC public schools are not perfect. Is there a segregation issue yes. Could schools do a better job of preparation for the SHSAT? Of course. But what you’re ultimately saying is that the best school system in the country is being held up by the white children in the state.
September 20, 2026 at 3:44 PM
NYC public schools are not perfect. Is there a segregation issue yes. Could schools do a better job of preparation for the SHSAT? Of course. But what you’re ultimately saying is that the best school system in the country is being held up by the white children in the state.
This is one of the areas where Z has cowered: as candidate, he clearly opposed continuing the SHSAT; as mayor, he has either reversed his position or at least equivocated.
Racial equity—particularly for NYC's Black students—requires that we push Z to recommit to ending SHSAT-based admissions.
Racial equity—particularly for NYC's Black students—requires that we push Z to recommit to ending SHSAT-based admissions.
When only 3 Black students are offered seats at Stuyvesant, and just 1 at Staten Island Tech, we have to ask what kind of system we’re building.
The latest Urban Agenda looks at specialized high school admissions and the need for change.
Read more: cssny.us/4x2w9dl
The latest Urban Agenda looks at specialized high school admissions and the need for change.
Read more: cssny.us/4x2w9dl
July 26, 2026 at 4:22 PM
This is one of the areas where Z has cowered: as candidate, he clearly opposed continuing the SHSAT; as mayor, he has either reversed his position or at least equivocated.
Racial equity—particularly for NYC's Black students—requires that we push Z to recommit to ending SHSAT-based admissions.
Racial equity—particularly for NYC's Black students—requires that we push Z to recommit to ending SHSAT-based admissions.
I tutored students for the SHSAT (and other tests) for 15 yrs. There's no doubt in my mind that–
1️⃣ Extraordinarily brilliant individuals who don't need help to score highly are rare but do exist.
BUT
2️⃣ For the over 99% of other students, the test measures the extent of a student's support system.
1️⃣ Extraordinarily brilliant individuals who don't need help to score highly are rare but do exist.
BUT
2️⃣ For the over 99% of other students, the test measures the extent of a student's support system.
The number of Black and Hispanic students accepted into the city’s specialized high schools has gone down this year. @jillianjorgensen.bsky.social unpacks the racial disparity in the admissions data.
August 6, 2025 at 4:06 PM
I tutored students for the SHSAT (and other tests) for 15 yrs. There's no doubt in my mind that–
1️⃣ Extraordinarily brilliant individuals who don't need help to score highly are rare but do exist.
BUT
2️⃣ For the over 99% of other students, the test measures the extent of a student's support system.
1️⃣ Extraordinarily brilliant individuals who don't need help to score highly are rare but do exist.
BUT
2️⃣ For the over 99% of other students, the test measures the extent of a student's support system.
Out of nearly 300 offers at Staten Island Tech, only one went to a Black student. As the SHSAT moves online, NYC’s specialized high schools remain racially segregated.
4,023 students were admitted to specialized high schools. Just 140 were Black.
Out of nearly 300 offers at Staten Island Tech, only one went to a Black student. As the SHSAT moves online, NYC’s specialized high schools remain racially segregated.
bit.ly
July 10, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Out of nearly 300 offers at Staten Island Tech, only one went to a Black student. As the SHSAT moves online, NYC’s specialized high schools remain racially segregated.
The NYC Panel on Education Policy should not eliminate the testing system for specialized high schools.
Derailing the SHSAT would lead to chaos and unfairly deny opportunity to countless students who work so hard with hopes of admission to one of the superb specialized HS’s.
Derailing the SHSAT would lead to chaos and unfairly deny opportunity to countless students who work so hard with hopes of admission to one of the superb specialized HS’s.
December 18, 2024 at 5:01 PM
The NYC Panel on Education Policy should not eliminate the testing system for specialized high schools.
Derailing the SHSAT would lead to chaos and unfairly deny opportunity to countless students who work so hard with hopes of admission to one of the superb specialized HS’s.
Derailing the SHSAT would lead to chaos and unfairly deny opportunity to countless students who work so hard with hopes of admission to one of the superb specialized HS’s.
The #SHSAT admissions system is broken. It selects for test prep.” @dcbloomfield.bsky.social @brooklyncollege.bsky.social @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social
By @errollouis.bsky.social @nymag.com
nymag.com/intelligence...
By @errollouis.bsky.social @nymag.com
nymag.com/intelligence...
It’s Time to End the Test That’s Grotesquely Segregating NYC Schools
The SHSAT is a wildly unfair method of evaluating students disguised as a merit-based system.
nymag.com
July 25, 2026 at 1:56 PM
The #SHSAT admissions system is broken. It selects for test prep.” @dcbloomfield.bsky.social @brooklyncollege.bsky.social @thegraduatecenter.bsky.social
By @errollouis.bsky.social @nymag.com
nymag.com/intelligence...
By @errollouis.bsky.social @nymag.com
nymag.com/intelligence...
I just talked to a mother of a child in Brooklyn, she was entirely unaware of the high school options, how to apply to high schools, and what the SHSAT test is. She thought her son’s grades were too low for a specialized high school.
NYC’s school choice system is v confusing.
NYC’s school choice system is v confusing.
This is not meritocracy, it's white supremacy.
Elite New York High School Admits 8 Black Students in a Class of 781
www.nytimes.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:04 PM
I just talked to a mother of a child in Brooklyn, she was entirely unaware of the high school options, how to apply to high schools, and what the SHSAT test is. She thought her son’s grades were too low for a specialized high school.
NYC’s school choice system is v confusing.
NYC’s school choice system is v confusing.
NYC high school admissions and the SHSAT: Here’s where the mayoral candidates stand
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/28/mayoral-candidates-discuss-selective-and-specialized-high-school-admissions-shsat/
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/28/mayoral-candidates-discuss-selective-and-specialized-high-school-admissions-shsat/
NYC mayoral candidates sound off on selective high school admissions and the SHSAT
Admissions, SHSAT, equity, and segregation: NYC’s mayoral candidates share their views and approaches around NYC’s selective school application policies.
www.chalkbeat.org
May 28, 2025 at 7:00 PM
NYC high school admissions and the SHSAT: Here’s where the mayoral candidates stand
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/28/mayoral-candidates-discuss-selective-and-specialized-high-school-admissions-shsat/
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/05/28/mayoral-candidates-discuss-selective-and-specialized-high-school-admissions-shsat/
IMO: Bill de Blasio and the SHSAT mess is very clearly referenced here, and it’s been tremendously costly to Democrats in majority Asian neighborhoods in the city.
at no point in this piece does barro actually identify specific democratic politicians who are guilty of the sins he has accused them of.
“Democrats talk easily about how the party has gotten 'out of touch,' but they don’t draw the obvious connection about what happens when you’re out of touch: You get things substantively wrong and alienate voters with your unpopular ideas,” Josh Barro writes:
February 27, 2025 at 1:20 AM
IMO: Bill de Blasio and the SHSAT mess is very clearly referenced here, and it’s been tremendously costly to Democrats in majority Asian neighborhoods in the city.
There should be a chapter about Bill de Blasio stepping into it when he started talking about the SHSAT
June 17, 2026 at 2:39 PM
There should be a chapter about Bill de Blasio stepping into it when he started talking about the SHSAT
Stop the bullshit. The SHSAT has always been a way to keep Black and Hispanic kids out. There's no way to pass the test without prep because the test contains questions on things that haven't been taught yet in the NYC curriculum like geometry.
July 16, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Stop the bullshit. The SHSAT has always been a way to keep Black and Hispanic kids out. There's no way to pass the test without prep because the test contains questions on things that haven't been taught yet in the NYC curriculum like geometry.
That only 3 Black students were admitted to Stuy this year is an absolutely egregious structural inequity. I know this as someone who had the resources to take SHSAT prep. When I attended Stuy in the 1990s, I was one of only 30 Black students in my class. This city must do better. @mayor.nyc.gov
Just 3 Black students admitted to NYC's elite Stuyvesant High School, data shows
An advocate said the woeful diversity data felt like "Groundhog Day.”
gothamist.com
July 11, 2026 at 3:42 AM
That only 3 Black students were admitted to Stuy this year is an absolutely egregious structural inequity. I know this as someone who had the resources to take SHSAT prep. When I attended Stuy in the 1990s, I was one of only 30 Black students in my class. This city must do better. @mayor.nyc.gov
Yes everyone is freaking out because they think it is the SHSAT when it is the obviously flawed program for 4yos
October 2, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Yes everyone is freaking out because they think it is the SHSAT when it is the obviously flawed program for 4yos
Life of the NYC 8th grader: Today 13yo took the SHSAT, toured a possible high school, and is now at a disco-theme bat mitzvah
November 16, 2024 at 11:27 PM
Life of the NYC 8th grader: Today 13yo took the SHSAT, toured a possible high school, and is now at a disco-theme bat mitzvah
The SHSAT, a standardized test that governs admissions to specialized high schools, is a wildly unfair method of evaluating students and fuels segregation to boot, Errol Louis writes.
It’s Time to End the Test That’s Grotesquely Segregating NYC Schools
The SHSAT, a standardized test that governs admissions to specialized high schools, is a wildly unfair method of evaluating students and fuels segregation to boot, Errol Louis writes.
nymag.com
July 25, 2026 at 10:09 AM
The SHSAT, a standardized test that governs admissions to specialized high schools, is a wildly unfair method of evaluating students and fuels segregation to boot, Errol Louis writes.
How come American standardized tests like the SHSAT pass so few black and Hispanic students? It can't just be "testing is racist," because it isn't in the UK - no BAME group underperforms white British students, even ones descending from working-class migration waves like Bangladeshis or Pakistanis.
September 7, 2026 at 10:30 PM
How come American standardized tests like the SHSAT pass so few black and Hispanic students? It can't just be "testing is racist," because it isn't in the UK - no BAME group underperforms white British students, even ones descending from working-class migration waves like Bangladeshis or Pakistanis.
Studying for the 2025 SHSAT? Here’s what to know about the new digital test.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/01/17/what-to-know-for-2025-digital-shsat-specialized-high-school-admissions-test/
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/01/17/what-to-know-for-2025-digital-shsat-specialized-high-school-admissions-test/
2025 SHSAT test takers: Here’s what you need to know about the new digital format
Digital SHSAT practice tests won’t be available on the Education Department’s website until the end of March, officials said.
www.chalkbeat.org
January 17, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Studying for the 2025 SHSAT? Here’s what to know about the new digital test.
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/01/17/what-to-know-for-2025-digital-shsat-specialized-high-school-admissions-test/
https://www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025/01/17/what-to-know-for-2025-digital-shsat-specialized-high-school-admissions-test/
Finally, importantly: the child ended up at an excellent HS—there are tons of very wealthy families who have had an eagle eye on every aspect of their child’s education who are thrilled to have their kids go here, it is one of the most popular non-SHSAT schools. All’s well that ends well! /end
September 21, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Finally, importantly: the child ended up at an excellent HS—there are tons of very wealthy families who have had an eagle eye on every aspect of their child’s education who are thrilled to have their kids go here, it is one of the most popular non-SHSAT schools. All’s well that ends well! /end