Equity Without Excuses: Real Reform at DeWitt Clinton High School

Written by Pierre Orbe, Principal

You’ll often hear people talk about how important equity is. But what you rarely hear is what actually works. What actually moves the needle. And that’s because equity is often misunderstood. It’s framed as lowering standards. As taking from one group to serve another. As handouts.

At DeWitt Clinton High School, we did something different. We didn’t lower the bar—we raised it. For everyone.

This was a school once ranked the most dangerous in NYCPS by the Daily News. Graduation rates hovered around 50%. Students—especially Black, Hispanic, English Language Learners (ELLs), and those with IEPs—were not just underserved; they were ignored. But in February 2017, I stepped in as the third principal in a single school year, and we made a choice: not to fix equity, but to build excellence.

Let me be clear: We didn’t do this by playing favorites or gaming the system. Frankly, I agree with critics of equity who say it can become a problem when it means taking from one group to give to another. But that wasn’t the case here. The entire school was a marginalized population. Our mission wasn’t to elevate a single group—it was to lift everyone. Equity wasn’t a program. It was a result of raising expectations, improving structures, and believing in our kids.

We focused on data. We improved instruction. We made grading policies transparent. Teachers began giving students real feedback, tracking progress, and—critically—returning graded work. Because how can students improve if they don’t even know how they’re doing?

Students don’t need sympathy—they need clarity. Any student will work harder if they know where they stand and where they can go. But if no one’s keeping score or returning the test, how do you play to win?

We didn’t give participation trophies. We built pathways that reflected students’ interests. We added four-year course sequences that offered:

– College Credits
– Certifications for industry jobs
– Internships for work-based learning

These weren’t handouts. These were earned opportunities. And our students rose to the occasion.

We saw across-the-board gains:
– Graduation rate rose from 48% (2016) to 97% (2022–23).
– Black student graduation increased from 58% to 98%.
– Hispanic student graduation increased from 38% to 95%.
– ELLs rose from 22% to 95%.
– Students with IEPs grew from 21% to 95%.

This wasn’t equity through excuses. It was transformation through real standards, rigorous instruction, and meaningful opportunity.

Let others debate the buzzwords. We’ll keep building futures.

Appendix A: Graduation Rates (2013–2024)