Former schools Chancellor David Banks and former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright hosted a forum recently to discuss racial disparities across New York City’s specialized high schools. The hosts brought together a slew of elected officials and experts to brainstorm pathways forward to equitable schooling for Black and Brown students.
“We’re the only city in the nation that has one single test for admission to specialized schools,” said Banks, who co-hosts the “Beacon and Blueprint” podcast with his wife, Wright, at Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem on Oct. 27. “This is a system right now that doesn’t even care about your grades.”
As of the 2024-25 school year, Black students make up only 19% of all New York City public school students, according to school data. The majority of school children are Latino at 42%, while Asian students make up 19% and white students make up 16%. However, Black and Hispanic students are the only ones accepted into schools in the lowest numbers when decades ago that was not the case. The bulk of the discussion of the forum focused on why very few Black and Hispanic students get into specialized high schools considering the current demographics.
The Beacon and Blueprint podcast hosts former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright (left) and former Schools Chancellor David Banks (right) at Abyssinian Baptist Church on Oct. 27. (Ariama C. Long photos) 
Audience member asks questions at the community forum about specialized high schools at Abyssinian Baptist Church on October 27.(Ariama C. Long photos) 
From left to right: Councilmembers Lincoln Restler (far left), Nantasha Williams (middle left), former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright (left), former Schools Chancellor David Banks (right), and Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman on Oct. 27. (Ariama C. Long photos) 
Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso (left) and Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson (right) at the Beacon and Blueprint podcast taping at Abyssinian Baptist Church on Oct. 27. (Ariama C. Long photos)
“This is the elephant in the room. Over the last 20 years, we have seen an increasing number of Asian students getting into the schools. You see a decrease of Black students, Latino students, and white students,” Banks continued.
The podcast’s panels included Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy Williams, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson; Councilmembers Lincoln Restler, Deputy Speaker Nantasha Williams, and Rita Joseph; and Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman.
“I want to ensure that we are not waiting to identify excellence, that we are cultivating it,” said L. Joy Williams. “The pipeline is broken in elementary and middle school.”
They collectively spoke about the evolution of test prep and expensive cram schools in Asian communities; possibly getting rid of the test or expanding assessments to include grades, attendance, and an essay as well as an exam; tackling issues of segregation in the city’s public schools and the use of anti-Black standardized testing, a lack of resources and tutoring at younger grade levels for Black students at other public schools; increasing algebra and AP coursework citywide; expanding Discovery Programs, which is an alternative admissions pathway for ninth-graders who score just below the cutoff on the SHSAT; addressing lopsided SHSAT scoring; anxiety, suicidal ideation, and mental health of young students around taking the test; and increasing equitable funding for public schools as a whole.
Most of the electeds at the event supported the legislative movement to repeal the Hecht-Calandra Act of 1971, which is the state law that requires the city to use the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) for admission to three of the eight specialized high schools: Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn Tech, and Bronx Science.
Currently, the city has the power under mayoral control of the schools to end the use of SHSAT for five specialized high schools. Banks admitted that while he was in office he approached former Mayor Eric Adams to do the same, but said Adams refused, not wanting to deal with the backlash from his Asian supporters. “I went to Mayor [Adams] and he would not do it. You have to understand, he’s a politician. Not casting any aspersions,” Banks said.
Banks agreed that more political pressure should be applied to Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYC Schools Chancellor, Kamar Samuels to implement a change.
Both Councilmember Williams and Hyndman are sponsoring bills at the city and state level to repeal the Hecht-Calandra Act.
“As an immigrant, as a parent, we all want what’s best. And if you’re constantly told that these schools are what’s best, then you want access to them,” said Hyndman. “And I’ll say this, 1971, 55 years ago, we know the legislation was about white flight. This is 55 years later. We have the ability to change that trajectory and that means repealing Hecht-Calandra.”
