A Plan for Specialized High Schools by Specialized High School Students
By William Diep, The Brooklyn Latin School Class of 2021
It’s clear that segregation exists within our specialized high schools. Those who have the resources to perform well academically and mentally excel, whereas those who are unfamiliar with the environment at a specialized high school struggle. From handling a rigorous academic schedule to balancing between extracurriculars and family responsibilities, it can be hard to attend a specialized high school.
Even though I was in an honors class at my last year of middle school, I didn’t have to complete additional hours of work to perform well academically. I can say that my middle school experience was a breeze. However, when I entered a specialized high school, I had to quickly adapt to the immediate switch in both an academic and mental environment. I needed to put additional hours of work into my studies so that I could grasp the content and perform well academically. I also struggled to balance my studies with my extracurriculars. Needing to dedicate at least ten hours a week to my Speech and Debate and Model UN teams, it was difficult for me to find that balance, and I’m still trying to find that balance. I’m thankful for the education that I am receiving at a specialized high school. However, that also comes with a strain on my mental health.
In March of 2019, I heard on my school’s morning announcements that there will be a Welcoming School Climate Student Advisory Board, a new board on the topic of race and climate composed of students from the specialized high schools, and that they were looking for members. I signed up for the board and that was one of the best decisions I made. I was immediately greeted with a safe and welcoming environment to express our feelings as students from these schools. From discussing our heritages to developing new policies to establish welcoming climates at the specialized high schools, we know what it takes to change our schools.
Our board has had several key events in the past. In June of 2019, we presented our Welcoming School Climate report to different officials of the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE), including Deputy Chancellor for School Climate and Wellness LaShawn Robinson. In January of 2020, we presented about implicit bias at a citywide conference led by the Office of Equity and Access from the NYCDOE. In April of 2020, We organized a virtual youth town hall on the impact of COVID-19 on our education. And in June of 2020, we collaborated with the Chancellor’s Student Advisory Council to develop a citywide virtual town hall on the new policies we want established after the events surrounding George Floyd and police brutality. Over 100 individuals, including Chancellor Richard Carranza, were present at the town hall.
Participating in the development of these events, as well as simply being with a group of students who have the same agenda as me, provides a sense of comfort yet action. Being a part of this advisory board means that I get to collaborate with students who are like me, and students who aren’t like me in order to create an environment where we all can grow. I’ve learned to blend my experiences as a student at a specialized high school with the experiences of others so that we take action and create equity-driven policies at all specialized high schools. Recognizing that we all come from different backgrounds, I’ve seen the positive impact that equity and integration has on all students. From establishing a student government training session on implicit bias in order to run for election to re-evaluating our eurocentric curriculums, we came together to make a difference. I am extremely proud of the work that we have done to establish welcoming school climates at our schools and can’t wait to see what else we can do in the future.
