School, Space, and the City: Alumni Reflections on Navigating School and Segregation in New York City

Keywords: Youth, Right to the City, Schools, Educational Segregation
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Tuesday
Session Start / End Time: 3/1/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 3/1/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 31

Abstract

How are the ways in which youth create and navigate urban space different from adults? In this paper, I explore this question through the lens of schools and educational segregation. I explore the ways in which schools impact the daily lives of three students in New York City and the ways in which mobility throughout the city is impacted by where these young people go to school. This paper is grounded in three case studies where alumni of New York City schools discuss their experiences with schooling, segregation, and space in the city. One of these students attended private school, one attended a series of elite, application-based, public schools, and the other attended a variety of public schools with differing admissions policies. While these stories certainly do not encapsulate the experience of every student in New York City, they offer a space for alumni to reflect on their experiences as children in New York City and illustrate different ways that young people navigate urban space out of very different educational experiences. This study grounds these stories within a larger discussion of the youth right to urban space, educational segregation, and the role of schools in shaping the day-to-day life of young people. It is crucial to understand the ways in which young people navigate the city and how they may differ from adults, as well as question why youth voices are not often present within analyses of urban space and even within conversations about schooling.