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New Poll Shows Harlem Wants Better Education Options For Children
June 24, 2008
Released June 24, 2008
NEW YORK - Most neighborhood residents of Harlem--70%--crave better school options for their children, and 59% believe that neighborhood children are not currently getting the education that they need and deserve, according to a new poll conducted by Washington-based Democratic pollster Ron Lester. (Find the complete report here: Flooding The Zone.pdf)
This survey was conducted for Education Reform Now and included 400 residents in Harlem's 15th Congressional district who said they were "likely" to vote in the November 2008 general election. It was conducted during the period of February 25-26, 2008 and the margin of error is plus or minus 4.5% at a 95% confidence interval. A voter file was used for the sample and respondents were selected randomly on an equal probability basis. Blacks represented 55% percent of the sample, whites 27%, Latinos 14% and "other" ethnicities 4%. (Find details of the poll here: Harlem Poll Questionnaire.doc)
The poll indicates that residents of Harlem are united in their belief that New York City schoolchildren are not getting the education they deserve. Nearly three-quarters of the poll respondents described the New York City public school system as "fair" or "poor." Similarly, 74% of respondents believe that public education in their neighborhood needs to be improved by "a lot."
On March 20, 2008, more than 1400 Harlem charter school parents, students, teachers and supporters attended a rally sponsored by Education Reform Now at Mount Olivet Baptist Church in Harlem to demonstrate their support of public charter schools. Colorado State Senator Peter Groff, Essence founder Edward Lewis and philanthropist Joe Reich were just a few of the city and state leaders in attendance.
New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein gave a speech that brought parents to their feet with a demand to close the achievement gap between the rich and the poor. Kevin Johnson, former NBA star and current candidate for mayor of Sacramento, flew in for the occasion and gave a speech that left audience members insisting that every child deserves a quality public education.
More than 20% of Harlem students currently attend a public charter school. According to this survey, more than two-thirds (64%) of respondents know what public charter schools are and 52%, a majority, feel they are a "good idea." Further, more than 8 in 10 respondents (81%) say "parents should be able to decide where their children attend schools."
Charter schools are public schools operated independent of the local school district and are free to find innovative approaches to learning.
There will be more than 22 of these innovative, independent public schools open in Harlem next fall - some of which have emerged as some of the highest-performing schools in the city.
Indeed, Harlem is a neighborhood where significantly improving education trumps most other issues which have dominated much of the local, state, and national political debate in recent years. Respondents listed "public education" as the second most important issue facing the next president, after "jobs and the economy."
Key findings from the poll:
-- A majority of Harlem residents (59%) believe that neighborhood children are not currently getting the education they need and deserve. Nearly three-quarters of the poll respondents (74%) described the New York City public school system as "fair" or "poor."
-- A full 70% of respondents believed that "working and poor parents should be given financial assistance to send their children to a school of their choice."
-- A majority of Harlem residents (52%) believe that public charter schools are a good idea. The poll showed that while only 15% of respondents believed charter schools were a bad idea, a full third indicated they were unsure.
-- There was no clear consensus on the issue of whether or not public education has improved in Harlem in the last five years - 44% of residents said it had improved either a lot or a little; 36% said "not much" or "not at all."
-- There was a strong consensus that public education had a long way to go to provide the kind of education kids deserve. Nearly three-quarters (74%) said public education needs to be improved "a lot." Not a single respondent answered "not at all"; 14% said it needed to be improved "a little"; 1% said "not much."
Education Reform Now is a nonprofit organization which envisions an America whose commitment to social justice is realized by every child having the social and economic opportunity afforded by a quality public education, regardless of race, gender, geography, or socio-economic status.