Press release

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Tracy Munford
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CSS Survey Reveals Mixed Emotions on City Public Schools

But, New Yorkers United in Demand for Action on Student Dropout Rates

The Community Service Society of New York’s (CSS) annual survey of low-income New Yorkers, The Unheard Third, reveals New Yorkers support efforts to reduce the dropout rate in public education and expand access to schools for early childhood education. These findings come as the City Council and Directions for Our Youth convene a United Way of New York City-sponsored major conference examining the dropout crisis in city schools.

The CSS survey found that New Yorkers top priority for elected officials is improving public education; with most believing that overall, city schools have shown little improvement over the last five years. There is optimism among poor parents, who give the schools their children attend improved marks since Mayor Bloomberg took control over public education. Though parents of older students, age 13 to 18, are still dissatisfied with the quality of education their children receive.

“What is striking,” notes David Jones, president and CEO of CSS, “is that the positive sentiments that some parents feel toward the school their child attends, does not translate into optimism for the public school system as a whole. And for parents with children in middle and high schools, there is little faith in the education their children are receiving in our schools. While there are many factors at play, as a city we must look closer at the possible sources of these fractured points of view.”

The Unheard Third survey points to widespread support among the public to compel early childhood education at the front-end of the education cycle and decrease the dropout rate in the latter years. There is considerable support for lowering the legal age for children to attend school to 4 years old and making pre-K and kindergarten mandatory. Among all income groups, parental support and teachers are cited as the major determinants in keeping young people in high school and successfully completing their education. The public, by large margins, strongly favor raising the age when a young person is allowed to dropout of school from 16 to 17 or 18 years old. Some 74 percent of low-income respondents favor such a change.

Poor graduation rates are not a New York City or New York State problem, this is a national crisis,” said Lawrence Mandell, President and CEO of United Way of New York City.  “Students who drop out are not statistics, but real people with real lives. The high school diploma is the pathway for students to advance to a healthier, more fulfilling,  financially stable life.  That’s why the fact that across the economic spectrum, New Yorkers agree about solving the dropout crisis is so significant.”

As was the case last year, the Unheard Third survey also reveals support for a renewed commitment to career and technical education in public schools. Respondents overwhelmingly endorsed career and technical education as a viable option for all students, and when asked if they felt likewise for their own children, remained firm in their support. The existence of alternative pathways is one more tool that can be used to dissuade young people from abandoning their education.

David Jones agrees with that assessment, pointing out, “changes in the global economy have altered the career path and opportunities for young people today. The era when a college education was the only hope for a middle class lifestyle is over. Given the proper technical training, and career guidance, our young people can take advantage of the many occupations in the labor market that do not require a college degree, but necessitate technical proficiency and provide the security of good wages and benefits. It is high time
for New York City to reinvest in career and technical education.”

Of note in the Unheard Third survey is that a public that is generally opposed to increases in taxes, express a willingness to pay more taxes to increase state spending on city schools. Almost three-quarters of all respondents indicated that they would be willing to absorb a higher tax bill if the monies were used to support public schools in New York City. These findings are consistent with where the public has been on this issue for some time. Since 2002, 73 percent or more of the respondents to the Unheard Third survey have indicated that they would be willing to surrender their personal opposition to tax increases if it meant increasing spending on city schools. This is an important consideration for lawmakers as the state fulfills the mandate of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity (CFE) lawsuit.

“The Unheard Third” survey, conducted for CSS by national polling firm Lake Research Partners, is a unique snapshot of the policy preferences of New Yorkers. The survey is the only instrument of its kind in the nation that takes into account the challenges facing low-income urban residents and solicits their self-defined priorities.  “The Unheard Third” is funded by the generous support of the United Way of New York City and the New York Community Trust.

Learn more about this year’s survey, obtain results and request interviews with CSS policy experts.

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