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After being booed at integration forum, NYC chancellor praised by school parent leaders
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 2:24 p.m. ET
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Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 28, 2026 at 2:24 p.m. ET
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Less than a week after being booed by integration advocates at an explosive town hall, Chancellor Kamar Samuels got a warmer reception from a panel of parents Monday who serve on the Citywide Council on High Schools.
“I was shocked when the audience booed when you defended parent choice,” said Linda Quarles, a member of the council, a group made up of volunteer parents that advocate on behalf of all public high school students. She said fellow parents, especially those who support selective admissions, asked to “pass along their thanks.”
“There are communities who were definitely not represented at that event last week, and our families want you to know that,” Quarles added.
Fellow panel member Deborah Alexander noted that the city’s own surveys found that more than 40% of families who left New York City public schools cited a desire for more rigorous academic instruction as a reason for leaving.
Integration advocates want to reduce or eliminate selective admissions to the city's public schools, pointing to data showing those policies lead to schools that are disproportionately white, Asian and affluent. But other parents, including many on the high school council, support selective admissions, saying students deserve the more rigorous programs “screened” schools provide.
Samuels has said he does not favor selective admissions “screens” but wants to be responsive to communities, and is launching education working groups across the city.
Supporters of pro-integration policies feel emboldened by New York Times journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones’ deeply personal article on her daughter’s experience in public schools. Hannah-Jones has said selective admissions are tools of segregation.
Last week, Hannah-Jones grilled Samuels on the Mamdani administration’s plans to advance integration. Samuels demurred on specifics, saying he was committed to working with communities to develop policies. Members of the crowd jeered Samuels, saying they were disappointed with his answers.
But supporters of current admissions policies — many of whom serve on the council on high schools — say high-achieving students should be rewarded, and that any move toward integration should not result in fewer opportunities for the sharpest kids.
The stark differences between the two meetings hint at clashes to come as integration efforts regain the spotlight in the city's education debates. Past debates over integration have polarized communities, largely along racial lines.
A call for reform
The council, an advisory group, consists of elected parent leaders from around the city, including some members of the group Parents Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education (PLACE). PLACE members have mobilized in the past to preserve selective admissions policies at top-performing schools as integration advocates have sought to dismantle those policies.
On Monday night, Samuels defended his participation in the town hall.
“Anyone should be able to ask the questions and the things that they prioritize, and so the fact that that’s where that conversation went is fine by me,” he said. “I have always in my work prior to being chancellor and as chancellor really committed to making sure that parent voice is a part of what is driving our system.”
Samuels said he personally supports reducing selective admissions but said policies have to be driven by communities. “I won’t always agree with everything our parents are saying,” he said, “but I do think it’s quite critical that we hear those voices.”
Communities across the city are mobilizing for a fight.
On Tuesday night, Adams administration alumni, former Schools Chancellor David Banks and his wife, former Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright, gathered several elected officials, civic and religious leaders to call for reforms to admissions to the city’s specialized high schools as part of a live taping for their podcast in Harlem.
While the specialized schools are just a small sliver of the overall system, they’ve become a shorthand for segregation in public schools.
Banks said he wanted to change admissions at five of the city’s eight specialized schools when he served as chancellor, but that then-Mayor Eric Adams told him no.
“He's a politician. I'm not casting any aspersions. But I want you to know the reason for it is this. And that's why. …He was not prepared to take that on as an issue. And quite frankly, he said, you know, Black and Hispanic communities may get a little upset. They talk about it at home, but they're not gonna do anything about it. The Asian community is very, very, very organized around this issue, and I don't blame them for that.”
Adams did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last month, Banks acknowledged to Gothamist that promoting integration was not a priority during his tenure. He said he favored policies that aimed to boost academics across the board, especially overhauling literacy instruction. In recent weeks, Banks has become a vocal supporter of efforts to improve diversity in the specialized schools, which rely on a single test — the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test — to determine admissions.
Last spring, only three Black students scored high enough on the test to get into Stuyvesant High School, the crown jewel of the specialized schools. Overall, Black and Latino students made up roughly 10% of offers to the elite high schools, while Asian American students got 56.5% of offers, and white students got 23.5%.
Banks said last spring’s admissions numbers should be a rallying call to Black and Latino communities to activate on the issue.
“Tonight represents one of the first moments where the Black community and Latino community can begin to come together and say, ‘We have a voice in this as well,’” Banks said.
When the most recent admissions numbers for the specialized high schools were released in July, Mamdani called for improvements to elementary and middle schools to increase the pipeline of strong applicants.
“I will say that we know that a single test does not reflect the aptitude of students across the city. We know that Black and Latino students are excelling across the five boroughs, as are students in a wide variety of schools. We have to ensure that we're doing everything we can to deliver for those students at the earliest ages,” said Mamdani, who is an alum of Bronx High School of Science.
Tagged
education
new york city
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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