The New York Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) is a grass-roots community organization representing 20,000 mostly low-income residents of New York City. This report presents evidence uncovered by ACORN of institutional racism in the New York City public schools that prevents parents of color from making informed decisions about their children's education. In nearly 100 test visits to schools in 16 community school districts, the ACORN Schools Office discovered that Black and Latino parents were permitted to speak with an educator less than half as often as White parents, and that White parents were given tours of the school two and a half times more often than Black or Latino parents. White parents appeared to receive better treatment, and access to information about gifted programs appeared to vary by the race of the person making the inquiry. Many times discrimination was evident only when the experiences of white and minority parents could be compared. ACORN is not concerned with why this discrimination exists, whether conscious or unconscious, but it is concerned with the ways in which it closes off options for students. The most blatant result of the narrowing of opportunity is seen at the city's premier academic high schools, Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. In a system where 39% of high school students are Black and 34% Latino, Stuyvesant has less than 5% Black and just over 4% Hispanic, and Bronx Science has less than 11% Black and about 9% Hispanic. Specific recommendations are made by ACORN to reverse the racist treatment of parents in the schools and to examine the city's policies toward gifted students. A large chart summarizes results of some tester visits. Tester instructions and the test report form are included. (SLD)