Only three Black students were admitted to Stuyvesant High School this year.

That number should prompt reflection — not about the ability or potential of Black students, but about the systems that shape opportunity.

Three students do not reveal a lack of talent. They raise a larger question: How do we define and recognize excellence?

As a proud graduate of NYC Public Schools and the first Black woman to lead the nation’s largest school system, this conversation is deeply personal.

I know what a NYC public education can make possible. Throughout my career as a teacher, principal, superintendent, and chancellor, I have seen Black students excel in every field. The question has never been whether Black students are capable. It is whether our systems recognize their potential early, nurture it, and provide equitable access to opportunities that allow it to flourish.

In 2017, I served on the School Diversity Advisory Group. The group, which included students,........

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