ies: on educationcivilrightsdocs.info/pdf/education/new-education... · ies: on education ngs 6....

New Majority Parents and Families: Views on EducationPoll Findings

April 2016

© Anzalone Liszt Grove Research

Background and Methodology

2

BACKGROUNDFor the first time in American history, the majority of students in the public school system are students of color. These

students are the “new education majority.” Despite constituting a majority of U.S. public school students, children of

color and their families are still largely underrepresented in the debate on educational opportunity and equality. This

in-depth study, the first of its kind since President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in

December, seeks to enrich discussions on education policy and practice by amplifying the voices of parents and

families of the “new education majority.”

METHODOLOGYA survey of N=400 African American and N=400 Latino or Hispanic parents or family members actively involved in the

upbringing of a child between the ages 5-18 was conducted by telephone, including both landlines and cell phones,

using bilingual (English and Spanish) professional interviewers. Interviews were conducted March 14-20, 2016. The

margin of error for the each sample is plus or minus 4.9% at the 95% level of confidence. The margin of error for

subgroups varies and is higher.

Demographics of Audiences

3

Demographics %African Americans %Latino or Hispanic

GenderMen/Women 36/64 44/56

IncomeUnder 20K 23 1520K-40K 24 3040K-75K 25 2875K+ 21 20Children in HH

Kids Living at Home 73 81Relationship to Child

Parents 65 71Grandparents 25 15

OtherInterview conducted in Spanish 18Parent or parents born outside US 62



� New education majority parents and families are well aware of the impact that racial inequities in education have on children of color.

• New education majority parents and families want a public education system that provides academic rigor, safety, and great teachers above all.

• New education majority parents and families want schools to be rigorous and set high expectations for African-American and Latino students, and they want expectations to be just as high for students from low-income families.

• New education majority parents and families believe they have a great deal of power to change the education system and are willing to do their part, but they also want all levels of government to step up to address funding and other disparities that hurt African-American and Latino students.

Key Findings

RACIAL INEQUITIES IN SCHOOLS

5© Anzalone Liszt Grove Research


Over 80% in both communities rate the school their child attends positively, though just a third rate it as “excellent.” Ratings are higher among those whose children attend mostly White schools, especially among African Americans.

6

3021

3833 31

39

0

20

40

60

80

100

Overall Child's school mostlyBlack

Child's school mostlyWhite

Overall Child's school mostlyLatino

Child's school mostlyWhite

8175

87

African Americans Latinos

9489 91

Thinking specifically about the school that the child you care for attends, how good of a job does it do preparing children for success in the future?

Excellent Good


Ratings for how U.S. public schools prepare African-American and Latino children are significantly lower than ratings for their own child’s school. This is especially true among African Americans, a majority of whom rate the education provided to Black children negatively.

7

30

6

33

154

22

411

0

20

40

60

80

100

Excellent GoodPoor Not so good

81

17

POSITIVE -NEGATIVE +64

12

87African Americans Latinos

+75

53

42

65

28

+37-11

“How good of a job does (your child’s school / all public schools in the U.S.) do in preparing (African-American / Latino) children for success in the future?

The school that the child you care for attends

The school that the child you care for attends

All U.S. public schools in preparing Black students

All U.S. public schools in preparing Latino students

Both African Americans and Latinos overwhelmingly see school funding disparities by both income and race, and African Americans are just as likely to see funding disparities by race as by income.


12 16

8477

0

20

40

60

80

100


Yes No

- 72YES –

NO - 74

“Do you think schools in low-income communities receive the same amount of funding as schools in

wealthy communities?”

9

26

83

61

0

20

40

60

80

100


Yes No

- 61 - 35

“Do you think schools in (AA / Latino or Hispanic) communities receive the same amount of funding as

schools in White communities?”

FUNDING DISPARITY BY INCOME FUNDING DISPARITY BY RACE

Neither community believes the education that students from their community receive is as good as the education that White students receive, and African Americans are especially likely to see inequity in education quality. The sense of these racial disparities is even more pronounced among those with children in schools that are mostly lower income.


22 22

4535

6672

45

59

0

20

40

60

80

100

Overall Child's school mostly lowincome

Overall Child's school mostly lowincome

Yes No

- 44YES –

NO 0

In general, do you think the education (African-American / Latino or Hispanic) students receive in U.S. schools is as good as the education White students receive?

- 50 -24


Among those who see racial disparities in education, both communities cite a lack of funding as the biggest cause. Lower teacher quality and racism are also seen as culprits, especially among African Americans.


7

9

20

21

57

6

6

10

32

32

60

0 20 40 60

Language problems

Poor school facilities

Lack of parental involvement

Lack of opportunity

Racism / Racial bias

Lower teacher quality

Lack of funding / Limited access to resources &technology

African AmericansLatinos

“Why do you think that (African-American / Latino or Hispanic) students don’t receive as good an education as White students?” [OPEN-ENDED] [MULTIPLE RESPONSES ACCEPTED]

Despite the racial inequities they see in education, strong majorities say that schools in the U.S. are trying their best to educate African-American and Latino children. That said, a third of African Americans and a quarter of Latinos do not believe schools are really trying to educate students in their communities.


“Please tell me which of the following comes closer to your own view, even if neither is exactly right.”


59

33

69

26

Schools in the U.S. are not really trying to educate Black / Latino studentsSchools in the U.S. are trying their best to educate Black / Latino students, even if they often leave many behind

ACADEMICS, SAFETY AND TEACHER QUALITY ARE PRIORITIZED


Both African Americans and Latinos overwhelmingly cite good teachers as the most important quality of a great school in an open-ended question.


5

6

7

4

7

10

14

11

51

5

5

5

6

8

9

14

16

50

0 20 40 60

Extracurricular/Vocational offerings

Diversity

High standards

Class size

Safe and nurturing environment

Adequate funding/resources

Parental involvement

Core/General Curriculum

Good teachers

LatinosAfrican Americans

“What do you think is the most important characteristic to make a great school?” [OPEN-ENDED]

*2% said less reliance on standardized testing

New majority parents and families prioritize strong academics. While all school characteristics tested are viewed as very important to a great school, academic qualities (along with school safety) such as having the right teaching materials and ensuring students leave school prepared join teacher quality at the top.


14

16

17

18

22

25

28

31

31

34

0 20 40 60 80 100

Students perform well on state tests

The school offers a wide range of extracurricular activities andafter school programs

The teachers are racially diverse

The school uses yearly testing to help parents and teachersknow how well children are doing

The school welcomes parent feedback and is responsive totheir concerns

The school's students leave prepared for success, whether inthe next grade, college, or a career

All students are treated fairly

The teachers are high quality

The school has the books, desks, computers and otherteaching materials it needs

The school is safe

One of the most important Very important

8

16

12

12

17

21

25

27

24

29

0 20 40 60 80 100


96

95

92

92

93

90

96

91

88

93

93

94

IMPORTANCE OF QUALITIES TO MAKE A GREAT SCHOOL

71

76

76

63 61

75

70

64

“Is the characteristic one of the most important, very important, somewhat important, not too important, or not at all important to have a great school?”

This focus on academics is also evident in the best uses of additional funding. All potential funding uses we tested were important but attracting and retaining quality teachers and ensuring that students have access to computers, better school facilities, and tutoring come out on top.


18

19

19

22

23

24

25

29

30

30

31

0 20 40 60 80 100

Expand vocational classes like auto mechanics, culinary arts, cosmetology and construction

Ensure students have the opportunity to participate in after school programs

Ensure students have the opportunity to take classes in music, art and other extracurricularactivities

Increase the number of teachers' aides and counselors

Ensure students have the opportunity to learn a language other than English

Reduce class sizes

Offer better quality, healthy food options for students

Ensure students have the opportunity to get tutoring

Increase teacher pay in order to attract and retain quality teachers

Improve school facilities, such as repairing leaky roofs and fixing heating and air conditioning

Ensure students have access to computers and other technology in school

One of the most important Very important

14

12

20

19

17

18

19

21

21

23

23

0 20 40 60 80 100


93

91

78

72

85

92

79

84

73

81

69

85

88

76

80

80

85

82

85

75

81

67

BEST USES FOR ADDITIONAL SCHOOL FUNDING

DESIRE FOR MORE RIGOR AND HIGH EXPECTATIONS


Both African Americans and Latinos overwhelmingly believe that students today should be challenged more in school than they currently are.


“Which of the following do you agree with more, even if neither are exactly right?”

90% say students should be

challenged more

8

84% say students should be

challenged more

13

AFRICAN AMERICANS LATINOS

Students today work hard enough and don't need to be challenged more in schoolStudents today should be challenged more in school to help ensure they are successful later in life

90% of both African Americans and Latinos believe that expectations for low-income students should be either the same or higher than those of other students.


19 2117

2430

16

71 6976

6658

76

3 5 2 7 9 40

20

40

60

80

African Americans <$40k $40k+ Latinos <$40k $40k+


APPROPRIATE LEVEL OF EXPECTATIONS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS

Teachers should hold black / Latino students from low-income families to higher expectations because a good education is the best path out of poverty

Teachers should hold all their students to the same level of expectations

Teachers should hold black / Latino students from low-income families to lower expectations because their lives already have enough challenges

ENACTING CHANGE



Both African Americans and Latinos believe that when low-income students succeed, it is because of the support they receive at home. The student’s own hard work is seen as the next biggest reason, with few citing schools as the driving factor in a low-income student’s success.

20

45 45

2734

14 16

0

20

40

60

80

The support they received from their family Their own hard work The education they received at school


BIGGEST FACTOR IN SUCCESS FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS“For (Black / Latino or Hispanic) students from low-income families who made it to college, which of the following do you think was

the most important factor in their success?”

Strong majorities of both African-American and Latino parents and family members believe parents have “a lot of power” to bring change to schools in the U.S. They also believe that government at all levels needs to step up to address funding and other inequities that harm African-American and Latino communities.


41

40

49

56

56

70

70

75

39

41

55

55

63

76

80

83

0 20 40 60 80 100

Community leaders

Teachers unions

Teachers

Parents

Superintendents

School Boards

The federal government

State government

African AmericansLatinos

PEOPLE INVOLVED IN PUBLIC EDUCATION: % A LOT OF POWER TO CHANGE SCHOOLS


The results of the “New Education Majority” poll suggest education policymakers and advocates should take into account the perspectives of new education majority parents by

oMeaningfully engaging them in education policy discussion, debate, and practice to ensure that policy truly reflects the needs of new education majority students and the expectations of communities of color; and

oDeveloping policy that meaningfully addresses the concerns that new education majority parents and families have about the quality of their children’s school and teachers, the inequitable distribution of resources, and the expectations that the school has of their children’s capacity to excel.

Conclusion

ies: on educationcivilrightsdocs.info/pdf/education/new-education... · ies: on education ngs 6....

Documents