Test Anxiety

Asian-American parents mobilized to oppose the de Blasio administration’s specialized high school proposal. Now they’re fighting a larger battle.

“Amid all the disagreement, it’s undeniable that Asian Americans have made their voice heard. On January 28, at a mayoral-candidates forum hosted by PLACE NYC and moderated by reporter Arthur Chi’en, five hopefuls—Eric Adams, Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, Loree Sutton, and Andrew Yang—discussed education. All vowed to build more specialized high schools, expand G&T programs, and fire Carranza, though none seemed especially inclined to retain single-test-based admissions. Nearly 1,000 people watched live via Zoom and YouTube, and the organizers hired a professional interpreter for Chinese speakers.

The forum was a big moment for Yiatin Chu, the co-president of PLACE NYC. The Taiwan-born stay-at-home mother cofounded her group with other parents in the summer of 2019 and has mobilized it since. When the PEP decided to terminate the G&T exam, Chu’s group circulated a petition asking the mayor to hold a revote. PLACE NYC has met with candidates in borough-president and city council races and works to register voters. “We all learned that our public education is very much in the hands of elected officials, from funding and mayoral control to oversight,” says Chu. “It is very important that we connect with them and help them understand the issues from our standpoint.”

Read the full article on City Journal: https://www.city-journal.org/asian-american-activists-fighting-ncy-school-reform