WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.

The court’s conservative majority overturned admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.

Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in dissent that the decision “rolls back decades of precedent and momentous progress.”

In a separate dissent, Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — the court’s first Black female justice — called the decision “truly a tragedy for us all.”

The Supreme Court had twice upheld race-conscious college admissions programs in the past 20 years, including as recently as 2016.

But that was before the three appointees of former President Donald Trump joined the court. At arguments in late October, all six conservative justices expressed doubts about the practice, which had been upheld under Supreme Court decisions reaching back to 1978.

Lower courts also had upheld the programs at both UNC and Harvard, rejecting claims that the schools discriminated against white and Asian-American applicants.

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* This article was originally published here

Finding an apartment in NYC that has everything you’re looking for and you can actually afford should be considered an olympic sport. And truly, not all NYC neighborhoods are made equal. But as the summer commences and temperatures heat up, so does the city–but which parts are hottest?

RentHop analyzed millions of search queries over three months this past spring to see which of NYC’s neighborhoods are currently the hottest, i.e., have the most renter demand. They then compared these results to those last year to see which neighborhoods are gaining and losing popularity.

And, according to the results, Astoria, Queens is currently the hottest neighborhood in NYC, jumping to 1st from 9th last year–but come on, with all of Astoria’s mouthwatering food it’s not hard to see why this neighborhood is hot.

Astoria is the hottest neighborhood for NYC renters in 2023, jumping 8 spots in our rankings this year to take top place. As rent prices across the city have skyrocketed, many New Yorkers have looked to Queens for more affordable prices and bang for their buck.

In second place was the Upper East Side, finding itself in the same spot as last year, followed by the East Village (which ranked first last year), Bedstuy, and the Upper West Side.

While more than half of the top ten hottest neighborhoods reside in Manhattan, Northern Brooklyn is definitely gaining some momentum.

According to the ranking, Bedstuy is the 4th most searched neighborhood for renters, Williamsburg 6th, Bushwick 7th, and Greenpoint 14th–all of which rose considerably in popularity since last year.

However, the neighborhood which saw the highest jump this year was West Harlem, which jumped twelve spots from 46th to 34th compared to last year.

Those among the “colder” neighborhoods, finding themselves dropping in popularity, include Greenwich Village (8 spot drop), the West Village (7 spot drop), Chelsea (6 spot drop), and the Bowery (6 spot drop). They all still find themselves in the top 25, though.

Data shows, however, that many renters have begun looking elsewhere in search of cheaper prices as rents soar, better amenities, and more space.

The post These Are The 50 Hottest Neighborhoods In NYC Right Now appeared first on Secret NYC.

* This article was originally published here

The constant influx of migrant families, and subsequent increased student enrollment, alongside  the disparity in funding in public school programs in Mayor Eric Adams’s Fiscal Year 2024 budget, has raised concerns from Advocates for Children of New York (AFC), an organization devoted to safeguarding access to education for children.

The AFC recently issued a brief for the public with three distinct demands directed at Adams’s new FY2024 budget: first, aiding the large influx of immigrants enrolled in school since last year: second, extending funding to Promise NYC, a government-subsidized childcare and early education program for low-income families, primarily for undocumented children who might be ruled out from traditional schooling; and third, creating more services to support English Language Learners (ELL) programs at transfer schools.

Relative to immigrant families, the AFC reported that the city’s public school system enrolled more than 18,000 new students in temporary housing. The organization determined that immigrant student services are increasingly essential, due to the population of high school-age students increasing by 76.5 percent in March 2023 compared to March 2022.

The brief also reported that nearly 42 percent of students in New York City public schools live in primarily non-English–speaking households. Paired with U.S. Census information that finds thousands of students whose parents do not speak English fluently, many of the same families lack access to stable internet connection—access that provides crucial information about their children’s schools.

The organization said the city provided $4 million in the previous two years for immigrant family outreach that addressed language barriers through community-based organizations (CBOs), and that this funding does not exist in the coming fiscal year budget.

The AFC also said that the Promise NYC program, which mainly helps young children regardless of their immigration status, will expire at the end of June. The program, subsidized by the city and run by four CBOs partnered with the city, has helped more than 600 children.

“It would be unconscionable to pull the rug out from under the hundreds of immigrant families who are currently benefiting from this program; if anything, the City should be increasing funding to meet the demand,” the brief read.

Rita Rodriguez-Engberg, director of AFC’s Immigrant Students’ Rights Project, said removing such a program would cause cascading failures for children and parents. Parents lacking affordable childcare options could lose employment options to care for their children full-time, resulting in less income and less engagement for their children, on top of their asylum or other immigration status.

While the AFC wants a $20 million investment for the program in the upcoming budget, the New York City Council urged the administration to reinstate the $10 million in previous funding to Promise NYC in its Preliminary Budget Response in May. 

A spokesperson for the Administration for Children’s Services (ACS) said the initiative achieved its objective of enrolling 600 children and is working to address the problem further.

“We are very appreciative of the work done by the four CBOs. Through the budget process, we are working with the Council, the Mayor’s Office, and (​​Office of Management and Budget) (OMB) to determine the future of the program,” the statement read. “ACS is in discussions with OMB, the Mayor’s Office, and the City Council about the future of this program and we look forward to the outcome of the budget negotiations.”

The statement read that while the ACS does not keep a waitlist for families, it is aware that its partners still have interest in the program from families. 

The final demand from the AFC was a $3 million investment in English Language Learning (ELL) programs in current transfer schools. Transfer schools give those ages 16–21 who dropped out or fell behind on credits in high school a chance to earn their diplomas.

According to the AFC, the current five ELL transfer schools with sufficient support staff for older immigrant students primarily serve lower Manhattan. There are 40 other transfer schools in the city but those lack support, especially for ELL students. This centralization of schools also doesn’t align with where these recent immigrant students live—many are in the outskirts of Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, and Brooklyn. 

The organization also stated that approximately 3,015 immigrant students did receive diplomas from their home countries and were not currently enrolled in a school.

Rodriguez-Engberg said the points raised in this brief address immediate concerns regarding Adams’s executive budget, and the organization hopes to work with the city to set these demands into action to help families in need.

“Investments in immigrant students and families are investments in the future of New York City, and right now, the need is greater than ever,” said Rodriguez-Engberg. “This year’s budget must restore funding for programs that are on the chopping block, and ensure schools have the resources they need to support older newcomer youth.”

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* This article was originally published here