On December 12th, members of the New York City Council’s Common Sense Core Group, including Susan Zhuang and Robert Holden, along with dozens of parents and community leaders, gathered on the steps of City Hall to once again urge the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) to swiftly approve the contract for the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT).
New York state law mandates that the specialized high school exam is the sole means for students to gain entry into New York City’s specialized high schools, and the NYC Department of Education must treat the implementation of the SHSAT as a statutory obligation. The PEP had initially planned to vote in October this year on renewing the five-year contract with NCS Pearson, the company responsible for operating the specialized high school entrance exam, but this vote has been postponed twice. Concerns have risen that the delayed approval of the contract could jeopardize students’ chances of applying to the city’s specialized high schools.
Council Member Susan Zhuang emphasized that the SHSAT is a crucial pathway to achieving the American Dream for many immigrant families, as 90% of test takers come from immigrant families, many of which are from low-income households. Children vying for entry into specialized high schools are spread across the five boroughs of New York City: over 8,000 in Brooklyn, over 6,000 in Queens, over 3,000 in Manhattan, and over 4,000 in the Bronx. She also rebuked discriminatory remarks against Asian students, advocating against the government making the Asian community a scapegoat for insufficient education investment.
Huihua Chen, the founding president of the Same Origin Society and a researcher at the Manhattan Institute, further pointed out that specialized high schools not only concern immigrants and the American Dream but have also nurtured 15 Nobel laureates in the field of science. She voiced concerns that political maneuvering may jeopardize this educational program that fosters genius, urging decision-makers to “stop politicizing, stop racializing, and focus on what truly matters.”
Council Member Robert Holden expressed worries that the delay in approving the contract for the specialized high school admissions test by the PEP could undermine the enforcement of state law. He called on New York City Mayor Adams to intervene in the matter promptly.
Zhuang told the newspaper, “We must resist to the end.” Should the exam contract fail to pass a vote on December 18th, it would mean no SHSAT exam next year. However, New York state law mandates that New York City must have a specialized high school test, and if this exam is canceled, they will join parents in suing the PEP.
On that day, many Chinese parents braved the cold weather to protest the delay in the contract for the specialized high school admissions test, believing that canceling the test would be unfair to immigrant families and to Asians. Mr. Chen, a parent in Brooklyn with a daughter attending Stuyvesant High School, said he was there to fight for other immigrant children to also access these resources.
He stated that his daughter works hard and receives excellent education at her school, but he sees differences in the quality of education in other schools, so canceling the specialized high schools would be unfair to the most dedicated students.
Mrs. Han, a parent of four children in Queens, told the newspaper that she herself was admitted to a specialized high school after coming to the U.S. and later went on to attend Columbia University, while one of her daughters was accepted into Stuyvesant High School and later entered a top-tier design college. She believes that gaining entry into specialized high schools is “the only way for children of the middle class who cannot afford private schools or come from low-income families to rise.”
She emphasized, “If Chinese parents do not speak up, no one will know about the excellence and intelligence of the Chinese; if we do not speak up, the welfare of immigrant descendants will not be taken seriously.”
Yuxing Huang, the president of the Same Origin Society, stated, that they need to engage with the mayor, write letters, and call relevant departments to demand an immediate continuation of the exam contract; otherwise, children would be unable to take the specialized high school test and would thus be unable to enter specialized high schools.
Some parents at the scene pointed out that while other ethnic groups may excel in sports, Chinese descendants excel academically with outstanding learning and absorption capabilities, and canceling the specialized high school test would be discrimination specifically targeting Asians.
On that day, Council Member David Carr, State Assemblyman Lester Chang, and State Senator-elect Steve Chan also participated in the event. Congressman Richie Torres and Council Member Helen-Min Yee were unable to attend but both expressed that the PEP must approve the contract based on its merits and not let the process turn into another debate on the pros and cons of the exam itself.