New CACF Education Report Details The Positive Impact of School Integration on Students’ Lives

NEW YORK (November 15, 2022) -- In a new education report titled A Diverse City Needs Integrated Schools, the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF) examines the impact and benefits of school integration on Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students and families in New York City. 

While the prevailing narratives around the AAPI community and the New York City Public School System tend to center attendees and supporters of the city’s specialized high schools, the survey conducted by CACF in February 2022 found both AAPI students and parents in New York City believe that racial diversity is a major consideration when selecting a school that fits a child’s educational, social, and emotional needs.

The survey was conducted through Google Forms and was shared by CACF’s members and partners throughout February 2022. In total, it received 78 responses, the majority of which came from parents of students who ranged from Pre-K students to high schoolers. The survey also attracted a number of responses from current high school students and alumni, many of whom attend or attended specialized high schools themselves.

With an official release date of December 5, A Diverse City Needs Integrated Schools also comes out on the same day that thousands of middle schoolers across New York City submit their applications for New York City’s high schools, a process that is particularly hard for families with immigrant or limited English proficiency backgrounds. As these students make their final high school decisions in the coming months, CACF hopes this new brief will lead to a renewed conversation about the importance and benefits of integrated, diverse schools.

“As this new survey reveals, the AAPI community’s views on integrated schools are more complex and varied than the popular perception would indicate. The AAPI voices highlighted in this report must also be included in the important dialogue around school integration” said CACF’s Co-Executive Directors Anita Gundanna and Vanessa Leung. “New York City has always been the most diverse city in the United States and providing all of its children with diverse school environments not only strengthens their education, but also better prepares them for the world they live in.”

“It’s our hope that this report sets off a renewed conversation within the AAPI community about the benefits of school integration.  All students should have access to an integrated school environment that meets both their social and educational needs,” said CACF’s Education Policy and Outreach Coordinator Naomi Chou. 

Notable survey findings include the following:

• Pro-integration AAPI voices are being erased in the conversation on school integration. While prominent, more conservative, and/or wealthier members of the AAPI community tend to be the leading voices in the public conversation on diversity and integration issues in NYC schools, families we spoke to stressed both the need and benefits to being in a multicultural and multiracial learning community. “The student body in schools that are highly-ranked lack racial diversity, and that creates an uncomfortable environment for BIPOC students,” said one current AAPI high school student.

• An alum of a specialized high school added, “I think there would've been less Islamophobia and anti-Blackness if we had a more racially diverse school – microaggressions and racism usually from the overrepresented groups made it hard to belong there.” 

• Both AAPI parents and students see integrated schools as both socially and educationally beneficial. Many survey participants said they actively sought out more diverse educational environments for their children both because they wanted their schools to reflect the diversity of their neighborhoods and due to the social and cultural benefits of a diverse school environment. “I think an admissions system that prioritized racial diversity would have improved my school experience—providing more perspectives, ideas, and backgrounds is always helpful and enriches class discussions, the social environment, and the overall experience,” said one student.

• Parents also expressed concern that the focus on testing and the specialized schools admissions process has led to a lack of focus on activities, sports, and other factors that create a well-rounded education. “My son has disabilities, so there are specific things that would make an educational environment better for him. I would love it if those things could be found at my neighborhood school, but they can't, so I’m very grateful to have enough resources to jump through the hoops to find those things. For a lot of people, especially non-English speakers, getting diagnosed and learning how to find the education environment that is best for them is additionally complicated.” 

• The prevalence of the model minority myth continues to obscure the real educational needs of the AAPI community. The unique and specialized needs of immigrant and refugee students, English language learners, and students with disabilities continue to be obscured due to the model minority myth and the unfounded belief that AAPI students do not need educational supports. “Asians supposedly do not need any assistance with resources as much as the African American and Latino populations do. The model minority myth is that Asians can do it without help. This puts pressure on Asian kids with regards to what is expected of them,” said one parent.

For more information, please contact Lakshmi Gandhi, CACF’s Communications and Outreach Coordinator at lgandhi@cacf.org.