Ebanks, M. E., Toldson, I. A., Richards, S., & Lemmons, B. P. (2012). Project 2011 and the Preparation of Black and Latino Students for Admission to Specialized High Schools in New York City. The Journal of Negro Education,81(3), 241-251.

Public elite and specialized high schools in New York City have a very low enrollment of Black and Latino students. Project 2011 is an intensive preparatory instructional program to improve acceptance rates for Black and Latino children to the eight specialized public high schools in New York City. Initiated and funded by District 17 and 18 of the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) and supported by Kaplan K12 Learning Service, Project 2011 offers curriculum and training for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), which is the only eligibility criterion for acceptance to New York City specialized high schools. Pre-test and post-test assessments that were administered to participating students indicated that the program significantly improved students’ performance on a practice test. Implications for student achievement and factors that influence their scores on the SHSAT, standardized tests, and school work are discussed.

Full article can be found here:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.7709/jnegroeducation.81.3.0241