Our Within Our Reach briefings address the issue of racial and economic segregation in the New York City system – the third most segregated school district in the country according to the New York Times. This series summarizes research and advocacy findings conducted by New York Appleseed and the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe from 2011 to 2014.
Our series of briefings advances a simple proposition: meaningful school diversity is possible and necessary in large areas of the city comprising multiple community school districts and hundreds of thousands of students. Our belief that school diversity is within our reach both logistically and politically derives from over 50 interviews conducted with experts across the city and also from successful advocacy conducted with parent groups.
- Segregation in Elementary Schools and What We Can Do About it (2020) Read our updated policy briefing about the specific mechanisms by which New York City elementary-school buildings and classrooms are segregated by race and class.
- Segregation in NYC High Schools (2014) Read our 2014 briefing on how the system of high school choice in the Bloomberg era led to racial and economic segregation in our high schools.
And if you’re looking for the original 2013-14 versions of the elementary-school briefings they can be found here: