Racial segregation in New York City public schools

NEW YORK (FOX5NY.COM) - Economic and racial segregation is nothing new in New York City public schools. It is actually one of the most divisive problems.

The city's system is the third-most-segregated in the country, according to Molloy College Professor Allison Roda.

New York City Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza made headlines last week by retweeting an article headlined "Wealthy white Manhattan parents angrily rant against plan to bring more black kids to their schools."

"Definitely there is a diversity problem, so when the chancellor made the comment he made, yes I understand that and that is real for people in the Bronx," said Josephine Ofili, who lives in the Bronx with her child. her boy was accepted to a "gifted and talented" high school in Manhattan. He travels an hour an half to and from school every day.

"I noticed a difference in the quality of the resources—not too many resources in the Bronx," she said. "And we have quite a few resources at this school," adding that he would never get those resources at a local Bronx school.

The Center for New York City Affairs at the New School released a study called "The Paradox of Choice: How School Choice Divides New York City Elementary Schools." It found that 40 percent of New York City kindergartners are enrolled in schools other than their zoned neighborhood schools.

The study also found that black students are the most likely group to leave their zones schools for a charter school and that students who opted out of their zones were typically assigned to school with lower test scores and higher shares of black as Hispanic students.

That contributes to higher concentrations of poverty and shrinking enrollments and budgets, which makes harder for those schools to serve their neighborhoods well.

Professor Roda of Molloy College said that implementing control choice policies could solve this problem. Families would still choose where they want their child to go however once the choice is made the district then balances the schools.