New York Charter Schools Lag in Enrolling Hispanics
Librado Romero/The New York Times
Second graders at the Carl C. Icahn Charter School 1 in the Bronx.
By JENNIFER MEDINA and ROBERT GEBELOFF
Published: June 14, 2010
When charter schools began opening in New York a decade ago, they were hailed as a better opportunity for children in poor neighborhoods, where failing schools had been the norm. But while charter schools are open to all, they have catered to one demographic group far less than another.
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Times Topic: Charter Schools
Librado Romero/The New York Times
Fourth graders at the Carl C. Icahn Charter School 1 in the Bronx. Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Chancellor Joel I. Klein praise New York’s charter schools.
Although Hispanics are the largest ethnic group in New York City’s public schools, there are almost twice as many blacks among the 30,000 charter school students, an analysis by The New York Times shows.
The issue is a sticky one among charter school advocates, who say the most important aspect of any school is that it educates the students who attend. But officials at the city’sEducation Department acknowledge that charter schools should better reflect the city and say that they are working to attract to the schools more immigrants, including those from Latin America. This year, for the first time, the city produced a directory of charter schools, translating it into eight languages.
“We’re talking about a group of schools that in the grand scheme of things are relatively new and are seeking to connect with students who are going to require extra efforts to reach,” said Michael Duffy, the head of thecharter school office of the Education Department.
The makeup of the schools has also attracted attention from state legislators. A law enacted last month to increase the number of charter schools in the state required that the schools enroll more students who are still learning English, as well as more special education students, although it is unclear how those provisions will be monitored or enforced.
In many ways, the demographics reflect the history of charter school growth in the city. The schools, which are privately run but publicly financed, almost immediately gained major backing from powerful black politicians and clergy leaders. The first ones were concentrated in and around Harlem, not only because of its large concentration of struggling schools, but also because its proximity to the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side would make it easier to attract teachers, attention and affluent