Charisse Smith is the mother of a ninth grader at Medgar Evers Preparatory School and a senior organizer with StudentsFirstNY, an education reform organization
As a parent of a student at Medgar Evers College Preparatory School, I was outraged to hear that Mayor de Blasio wants to water down the admissions process at our school. Medgar Evers Prep is a Crown Heights oasis for families from over 61 zip codes. The mayor should be trying to replicate this school’s success in every district in the city, but instead, he keeps interfering with what’s working. It’s time for him to get out of our way and get to work fixing schools that need the help.
I chose Medgar Evers for my son because the school is a beacon for families like ours. It’s one of the only high-performing schools in the city where 99% of students are minority. The student body is 88% African American, 71% are from low-income families, and test scores are off the charts, with 84% of the student body taking at least a few of the over 22 AP classes that are offered.
Read the full oped in the New York Daily News.
