School segregation in NYC

School Segregation is Alive and Well: Race, Income and Reform

Jack Alcineus, Adiba Chowdhury, Kimberly Jean-Charles & Leong Pang

MPA 798 and MPA 799

Mentor: Dr. Bakry Elmedni

Instructor: Dr. Helisse Levine

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Unresolved Problem

Research Goal/Purpose

Subproblems

Study Objectives

Research Questions

Hypotheses

Definitions of Key Terms

Nature of the Problem

Delimitations

Importance of the Study

Project Timeline

Conceptual Framework

Research Methodology

References

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Jack

Introduction

The Brown vs. Board of Education trial in 1954 was a landmark case that deemed racial segregation of schools in the United States to be unconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Ed, 1954).

Sixty years later, segregation in NYC public schools has become a growing trend.

“Out of 895 slots in Stuyvesant High School’s freshman class, only seven slots were offered to Black students” (Shapiro, 2019)

Household income and educational funding appear to have been the driving forces of this trend.

Source: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954); Shapiro, E. (2019, March 26). Segregation Has Been the Story of New York City's Schools for 50 Years. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/school-segregation-new-york.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap

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KIM

Unresolved Problem

Despite the national and local efforts for social and cultural integration, public schools in NYC, the biggest school district in the country, are now more segregated today compared to when segregation was legal.

Within the last decade (2010-2020), segregation driven by household income and funding formula has become so prevalent that it has caused a public outcry which has prompted policymakers to search for a proper solution.

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Source: Source: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954); Shapiro, E. (2019, March 26). Segregation Has Been the Story of New York City's Schools for 50 Years. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/nyregion/school-segregation-new-york.html?auth=link-dismiss-google1tap

JACK

Research Goal/Purpose

The purpose of this study is to determine whether the level of household income and funding formula used to allocate resources to schools across the city contribute to the resegregation of public schools in New York City.

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JACK

Subproblems

Household income affects the type of neighborhood that a family lives in that determines which public school their children attend.

The funding formula used by school districts determine the amount of resources allocated to each New York City public school.

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Jack

Research Questions

What effect has household income had on resegregation of public schools in NYC within the past ten years?

In what ways does the funding formula used by the city contribute to resegregation of public schools in NYC?

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LEONG

Hypotheses

H1: Children from low-income households located in minority concentrated neighborhoods are more likely to attend segregated public schools in NYC.

H2: Public schools located in minority-concentrated neighborhoods are likely to receive less funding per student compared to public schools located in majority white neighborhoods.

H0: There is no relationship between household income and resegregation in NYC public schools.

H0: There is no relationship between the funding formula and public school resegregation in NYC public schools.

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