Solving Disproportionality at the High School for Health Professions & Human Services

Robert Gentile • Cahn Fellow 2020

The High School for Health Professions & Human Services (HPHS) was founded in 1992 as an educational option program. The school curriculum is focused on providing students with the necessary course of studies, internship experiences, and skills to prepare for careers in the health professions and human services fields. At HPHS we celebrate the school’s success for embracing diversity and promoting academic and social equity for all of our students. Our Cahn Project was motivated by an honest reflection of our school’s commitment to confront and challenge implicit bias in our systems and practices in our school. Our project challenges the dominant narrative of low participation and performance for males of color in the most academic challenging and rigorous courses. We want to change the way students are programmed and placed in our most advanced courses by becoming an equity-driven school, which will increase access and opportunity for our students. By developing a deep understanding of our policies, practices, and beliefs of our school community, we can address disproportionality and achieve equity.