COVID recoveryFull briefing
How D15 unscreening 5 years in: outcomes, equity, both?
The longer form of the briefing for this story: the original thesis, the supporting findings the data team flagged, and the reporting directions a journalist could follow. For the short version and the data analysis, see the main story page.
Thesis
In 2018, NYC's District 15 (Park Slope and surrounding) unscreened all its middle schools — replacing test-and-grade screens with weighted lottery. Five years in, has the policy met its goals (more diverse cohorts) without sacrificing outcomes? The data is finally long enough to tell.
Supporting findings
- D15 unscreened MS in 2018-19 (first effect cohort entered MS in 2019-20).
- Goal: more diverse MS cohorts, better integration.
- Before/after: MS demographic composition. % Black, Hispanic, low-income at each D15 MS.
- Outcomes: 8th grade test scores, HS placement quality.
- Compare with neighboring D13 (Brooklyn Heights / Fort Greene) which kept screens.
- Did high-income families leave D15 MS for private? Look at enrollment patterns.
- Did 8th grade test scores drop at top D15 MS post-unscreening? Initial data suggested modest decline.
- 5-year HS placement: do D15 grads still place into selective HS at similar rates?
- Compare with Chicago's selective enrollment debate, LA's magnet policies.
- Frame: 'Five years ago, NYC tried an integration experiment in one district. Here's the verdict.'
Reporting directions
- Pull D15 MS demographics 2017-18 (pre) vs 2024-25 (5-year post).
- Compute pre/post outcome deltas, peer-matched control.
- Interview Miriam Nunberg + D15 parent activists.
- Compare with academic literature (Halley Potter at Century Foundation).