Poverty, race, ethnicity and immigration status are not in themselves determinative of student achievement. Demography is not destiny. The amount of melanin in a student's skin, the home country of her antecedents, the amount of money in the family bank account, are not the inexorable determinants of academic success. The evidence introduced at trial demonstrates that these negative life experiences can be overcome by public schools with sufficient resources well deployed. It is the clear policy of the state, as formulated by the Regents and S.E.D. [State Education Department], that all children can attain the substantive knowledge and master the skills expected of high school graduates. The court finds that the city's at-risk children are capable of seizing the opportunity for a sound basic education if they are given sufficient resources
Author: Leland DeGrasse