Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,

After months of research and input from former students, parents, educators, researchers, and organizations, CACF is proud to release our education policy brief, "Overemphasizing a Test, Oversimplifying Our Children: An APA Perspective on Specialized High School Reform towards Educational Equity."

New York City is one of the most segregated school systems in the United States. The specialized high schools themselves, though a small percentage of the public schools, reflect the gross lack of diversity, inequity, and inclusion in the larger system. The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) as the single measure of admissions is unfair and a barrier to diversity in these schools.

Therefore, CACF believes in eliminating the SHSAT or any single test as the sole measure for admission to the specialized high schools in favor of adopting a multiple measures policy. In addition to these reforms, we also offer several recommendations on how the City and the Department of Education can better promote diversity and inclusion in the school system and ensure all students have equitable access to a high quality education.

As the nation's only pan-Asian children's policy advocacy organization, CACF has a responsibility to the Asian Pacific American (APA) community to advocate for educational policies that benefit all APA students, including and especially those most marginalized. This responsibility is critical as APAs continue to be left out of educational reform efforts and policy decisions, further perpetuating the harmful effects of the model minority myth. With this brief, we hope to highlight the important role the APA community plays in the broader fight for educational equity.

CACF thanks the alum, colleagues, parents, and partner and member organizations for their contributions. Finally, we appreciate you all for taking the time to read this brief. Please feel free to share and contact Tasfia Rahman, Policy Coordinator, at trahman@cacf.org if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Anita Gundanna & Vanessa Leung
Co-Executive Directors