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Local New York Issue

New York schools are reportedly the most #segregated in the nation. Is desegregation really feasible?

People know New York as one of the most #diverse places in the world, but New York state has some of the most segregated schools in the United States. New York has an expansive ethnic, cultural, social, and economic diversity, yet public schools across the state continue to be segregated based on race and socioeconomic status.

School poverty is linked to many adverse social and academic conditions and outcomes. Schools with high concentrations of minority students also have a high concentration of low-income students. Due to the area's lower income, these schools face additional challenges such as tighter budgets, lack of school supplies, and health issues.

Many school officials and community members identified practices and policies that perpetuated racial imbalance and educational inequality across schools, but community control of local schools hindered integration efforts. Changing school enrollment would be difficult without reforms in housing patterns because school segregation is an impression of the larger community's segregation. 

Policies that concentrate on reducing racial isolation, encouraging diverse schools, and ensuring an equal distribution of resources could create an environment to curb school segregation. Initiatives could be created to help lead and manage local or inter-district programs in urban/suburban areas. 

Increased efforts by the government to foster the development of suburban coalitions to influence state-level policy-making around school diversity and equity could drive equality in educational opportunities. Local educational institutes and neighborhood organizations could promote diverse communities and schools as supremely desirable places to live and learn.

Although there are many avenues New York communities could use to attempt to diversify schools, the implementation of such policies may fail in real-life scenarios. Practical conclusions may not be as stable as the theories, and long-term changes could be costly.

New York schools are reportedly the most segregated in the nation. Is desegregation feasible?

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