Racial and Socioeconomic Segregation in Rochester

​By Taniya Gaines
The state of New York has the most racially segregated public schools in the nation, according to WXXI. Schools in Monroe County have become steadily more segregated in the last 20 years. In the inner city of Rochester you see high levels of concentrated poverty that you don’t see in the suburban parts of Rochester. The problem with this is that it’s causing students in Rochester with the most need to be concentrated together in under resourced schools and neighborhoods.
Many students in the RCSD are attending schools where most of the school population is poor or of low income. But in places like Pittsford it's the exact opposite. This has to do with the idea White Flight. White populations are moving to suburbs, putting racial clauses in housing and education opportunities making it difficult for minorities to do the same, according to OpenMicRoc.
This is affecting under privileged students in districts like the RCSD because they aren’t getting a quality/equal education under the law. Students are graduating high school not prepared for college or whatever their next step is. Students in these districts aren’t being taught what they need to know to succeed in their future in their schools. But this also is affecting students where there is no integration in their classrooms. Often times they say racist things but aren’t called out on their actions because no one of that race is there to confront them.
This is important to understand because until we find a way to integrate our schools and communities the racial isolation rates will continue to get worse and students will never get the equitable education they deserve. We want our students to succeed economically just like other students around us.