Name: Latrice Walker
Ballotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Latrice_Walker
Assembly: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Latrice-Walker
Phone: 718-342-1256

Assemblymember Latrice Walker advocates for keeping the SHSAT exam as the sole admission’s criteria in New York City specialized high schools.

Even as Assemblymember Walker’s district compromises many students who have shown their academic merit but will never have a chance to attend a public specialized high school, her position is not unexpected. Assemblymember Walker is an alumnus of a specialized high school. And alumni mostly support continuing the misguided tradition of using a single bubble test as the sole measure of students’ academic ability.

Media: https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/opinion/keep-shsat-give-black-and-latino-students-fair-chance-passing.html

Assemblymember Walker’s opinion brings absolutely nothing new to the debate.

Blaming the lack of gifted and talented programs is misguided at best. G&T programs increase segregation, they do no decrease it. We’ve seen this before in New York City.

Assemblymember Walker believes the solution to the results as an invalid high-stakes test, is to put FOUR year-olds through more high stakes tests and tracking. These kids are barely out of diapers.

Controversy

Here’s how Assemblymember Walker feels about scholarships to minority students…

The Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators did not give out a single scholarship in 2018 — despite typically taking in over $500,000 in annual revenue.

[…]

The association’s president, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker, a Democrat from Brooklyn, did not return a call for comment on Sunday. The second-ranking member of the group, state Sen. Leroy Comrie, a Democrat from Queens, said he had nothing to say about the subject and hung up on a Times Union reporter.

The group’s website is no longer working. The “premium” package for this year’s event starting Feb. 15 at the Hilton Albany goes for $445, with tickets for individual events going for around $30, according to a registration form on Eventbrite. In 2017, tickets were $175.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Minority-legislators-fundraiser-fails-to-fund-13498734.php

Both she and Senator Leroy Comrie are strong supporters of the SHSAT exam as the sole admissions criteria of specialized high schools.