Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City was distressingly dismissive this month when a coalition of civil rights groups filed a complaint with the United States Department of Education over the admissions policies of the city’s eight “specialized” high schools — prestigious, highly competitive institutions that are among the best high schools in the country.
The complaint, which charges the city with illegally screening out qualified black and Latino applicants based on a single test, highlights a serious problem that has festered for decades. That problem has been getting steadily worse, with fewer and fewer minority children qualifying for schools that have long been a gateway to the nation’s distinguished colleges.