Of Course I’m Smart Enough

by Enoch Naklen

“OK class, we’re about to transition to community meeting! On my count. One!” announced my 4th grade teacher.   One was the signal to push out your seat from the desk.  “Good job we’re moving with urgency! I like it Morgan State!” 

What NYC Teens Actually Think About the SHSAT

by Merry Li

In June 2018, I began to hear news about then-Mayor Bill de Blasio wanting to do away with the Standardized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), the exam New York City students take to get into one of eight specialized high schools.

Making Schools More Fair, Welcoming, and Safe

Our writers asked tough questions about the issues they face at school. Here are New York City Schools Chancellor Porter’s positions on back-to-school Covid safety, New York City’s long history of education inequality, student vaccinations, and how to work successfully with a new mayor.

My Test Score Didn’t Show What I Could Achieve

by Richard Zhao

The snow was piling up outside the school window, almost as fast as the anxiety building up in my stomach. After what seemed like hours of waiting, I was called down to the guidance counselor’s office to receive my results for the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT).

Defining Blackness

by Christina Oxley

One day in my 10th grade American Literature class, we read Fences by August Wilson. My teacher said to everyone, “We will be reading this play aloud in class. The main character, Troy, says the ‘n’ word many times, so I’ll just say that you guys have the choice to decide whether or not you want to say it.”