<p>I do think that one issue that has not been addressed is that many black and hispanic students are caretakers for their younger brothers and sisters especially if their parents work (so sometimes the choice of school is made for them). </p>
<p>I know when I lived in Brooklyn, the zoned high school was 2 blocks from the middle school which was a couple of blocks from the elementary school, so it was not unusual to see older siblings dropping off younger siblings. My sister says the one of the biggest problems she encountered teaching a firs period class in a zone high school is that many students were absent from class becasue they were responsible for taking younger siblings to school (or at least making sure they got of the house on time). This presented a major disconnect where the elemenatry and middle schools do not start until 8:30 and first period classes at some schools start at 8 am or earlier. Even with the Specialized High School Institute, it takes place one afternoon, during the week (when students are picking up siblings) and on saturday for about 4 hours.</p>