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.

How I Fight Racism Both in the World and Within Me

by Eli

Before George Floyd’s murder, I didn’t focus much on racism I’d experienced. But Mr. Floyd was just a normal Black man trying to get through another day in his life, just like my father, my uncle, or my older cousins. That infuriated me enough to see that I couldn’t ignore any more of the microaggressions I often faced in my own life.

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).

Stereotyped Into Silence No More

by Kaylee Pierre

In 2nd grade, my White teacher wrote on the dry erase board: “character traits/adjectives.” “Who knows an example of a way you can describe a character?” she said, her voice barely reaching the back of the room. The room remained quiet.