Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino, Asian and ...media.newamericamedia.org/images/polls/edu_poll/nam_edu_poll.pdf · Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino,

P R E S S K I T

NAM Multilingual Polling Voices of the New America

Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino, Asian and African American Parents Reveals High Educational Aspirations for Their Children and Strong Support for Early EducationEmbargoed until 2:00 pm PDT, August 23, 2006

Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino, Asian and African American Parents Reveals High Educational Aspirations for Their Children and Strong Support for Early Education

www.newamericamedia.org/polls | �

MAJOR FINDINGS

1. There are important demographic and socio-economic differences between Latino, African American and Asian parents in California. These differences must be kept in mind when reviewing the other findings of the poll.

Latinoparentshavethelowesteducationallevelofthethreegroupsstudied.ThevastmajorityisSpanish-dominant.

Incontrast,AsianparentshavemuchhighereducationallevelsthanbothLatinoandAfricanAmericanparents.Inspiteofthis,halfofAsianparentsindicatedthattheyfeltmorecomfortableinthelanguageoftheirnativecountry.

ThepercentageofparentsthatsendtheirchildrentothepublicschoolsofCaliforniavariessignificantlybetweenthethreeethnic/racialgroupsstudied.Latinofamiliesaremostdependentonpubliceducation,followedbyAfricanAmericanandAsianfamilies.

Pre-schoolenrollmentalsovariessubstantiallyamongthethreegroupsstudied.Whiletwo-thirdsofAfricanAmericanparentssaytheirchildundertheageoffiveattendsapre-schoolprogram,lessthanhalfofAsianparentsandjustaquarterofLatinoparentshavetheirchildreninsuchaprogram.

Therefore,thethreegroupsofethnicparentspolledhavedifferenteducationalandsocio-economicbackgrounds,differentdegreesofEnglish-languageproficiencyandvariedlevelsofsophisticationontheroleofpubliceducation,parentsandpre-schoolprogramsintheeducationallifeofachild.

MethODOlOGy

ThispublicopinionresearchprojectisthefirstmultilingualpollofethnicparentsinCaliforniaoneducationalis-sues.Tocollectthisuniquesample,Bendixen&Associatesinterviewedatotalof602Latino,AfricanAmericanandAsianparentsinCaliforniabetweenApril20thandMay9thof2006.Eachofthesampleswasdesignedtoberep-resentativeoftheparentsinCaliforniaineachoftheracial/ethnicgroupsstudied.The201interviewswithLatinoparentswereconductedinEnglishorSpanishbasedonthepreferenceoftherespondent.TheAsiansampleof201interviewsincludedChinese,Japanese,Korean,Vietnamese,FilipinoandAsianIndianparents.Asianrespon-dentshadachoicetobeinterviewedinEnglish,Korean,Vietnamese,MandarinorCantonese.All200interviewswithAfricanAmericanparentswereconductedinEnglish.Thetotalsamplealsoincludedstatisticallyvalidsub-samplesofparentswhohavechildrenthatattendpublicschoolsandofparentswhohavechildrenthatattendpre-schoolprograms.ThepollalsoincludedasmallbutsignificantnumberofparentswhohaveenrolledtheirchildrenintheEnglishLearnersprogram.Themarginoferrorforthetotalsampleis4percentagepointsatthe95percentlevelofconfidence.

For more information about NAM Multilingual Polling, please contact: Brahmani Houston | [email protected] | (415) 50�-4170 x 219

4 | Press Kit



www.newamericamedia.org/polls | 5

2. Ethnic parents in California have very high expectations for their children, yet maintain a realistic per-spective as to the role the public schools play in their children’s lives. Their aspirations reach well beyond the simple hope that their children will earn a high school diploma. The overwhelming majority of ethnic parents would like to see their children attain at least a college degree.

AfricanAmerican,AsianandLatinoparentsbelievethatthequalityofthepubliceducationsysteminCali-forniaandtheshortageofaffordablehousingarethetwomostimportantproblemsfacingthestate.

ThequalityofthepublicschoolsinthestategarnermixedreviewsfromethnicparentsinCalifornia.Over-all,veryfewparentsratethequalityoftheschoolsas“excellent.”AndeventhoughamajorityofLatinoparentsratethepublicschoolsas“good;”clearmajoritiesofbothAfricanAmericanandAsianparentsratethemnegativelyaseither“mediocre”or“poor.”

EthnicparentsaredividedaboutthemajorreasonwhytheCaliforniaschoolsystemhassomanyprob-lems.AsianandAfricanAmericanparentsaremorelikelytosaytheproblemsareduetolowfundingandre-sources,whileLatinoparentsaremorelikelytosaytheproblemsareduetoalackofparentalinvolvementintheeducationoftheirchildren. Ethnicparentswantschoolaccountability,notaneducationalsystemthatsimplypasseskidsalongthroughsocialpromotion.AsolidmajorityofethnicparentssupportCalifornia’shighschoolexitexam.Theywantahighschooldiplomatohaverealvalue.

AmajorityofethnicparentsinCaliforniaexpecttheirchildrentograduatefroma4-yearuniversityandasubstantialpercentagealsoexpecttheirchildrentopursuegraduatedegrees.Lessthantenpercentofethnicparentswouldbesatisfiediftheirchildrenonlygraduatefromhighschool.

Therefore,itisnotsurprisingthatmostethnicparentsthinkthatthemostimportantobjectiveofapublicschooleducationistopreparetheirchildrentoenteracollegeoruniversity.Theseparentshavearealisticperspec-tiveonthelimitationsofwhatapubliceducationcandofortheirchildren–onlyaboutafourthofethnicparentsis“veryconfident”thatthepublicschoolsofCaliforniacanpreparetheirchildrenforagoodjobandasuccessfulcareer.

Latinos AfricanAmericans AsiansAffordablehousing 25% 24% 23%Qualityofpubliceducation 23% 26% 24%Illegalimmigration 14% 11% 8%Economyandunemploy-ment

11% 11% 7%

Accesstohealthcare 9% 8% 8%Trafficcongestion 6% 6% 18%Publicsafety 4% 9% 5%


� | Press Kit




3. California’s Latino, African American and Asian parents are very interested and highly involved in the education of their children. They could become an important source of pressure to raise achievement levels in the public schools of California. The hope of parents that their children will exceed their standard of liv-ing is alive and well in the ethnic and immigrant communities of California.

Amajorityofparentsineachethnic/racialgroupreportsthattheyhelptheirchildrenwithhomeworkassignmentseverynight.Whilethephrase“helpwithhomeworkassignments”wasnotspecificallydefinedforrespondents,thisfindingdoestellusthattheseparentsarecommittedtobeinginvolvedwiththeirchildren’seducationandwanttobehelpfulinspiteoftheeduca-tionallimitationsofmanyofthem.Lessthantenpercentofparentsreportedthattheyneverhelptheirchildrenwiththeirhomework.

Mostethnicparentsalsoreporthavingopenandfrequentcommunicationwiththeirchildren’steach-ers.Theoverwhelmingmajoritysaytheymeetwiththeirchildren’steacherstwoormoretimesinaschoolyear.

AsmallbutsignificantpercentageofLatinoandAsianparentsreportedhavingaproblemcommunicat-ingwiththeirchildren’steachersbecauseoflanguagebarriers.MostLatinAmericanandAsianimmigrantsinCaliforniaspeakalanguageotherthanEnglishathome.


� | Press Kit


4. There is strong support for pre-school programs among California’s ethnic parents. Respondents report having an understanding of the importance of pre-school, a recognition of its educational function and a need for more pre-school facilities in their communities. Ethnic parents clearly see the connection between a good pre-school education and a child’s later chances of having a successful career.

Itisimportanttonotethatthosemostethnicparentsdidnotattendapre-schoolorchildcarecenterpriortokindergartenthemselves.

TheoverwhelmingmajoritiesofLatino,AfricanAmericanandAsianparentsinCaliforniadisagreewiththestatementthat“childrenunder5aretooyoungtobeattendinganytypeofschoolprogram;theyshouldbeathomewithfamily.”Theybelievethattheirchildrenneedtoattendaneducationalprogrambeforetheageoffivetoprepareforkindergarten.

Moreover,ethnicparentsbelievethatprogramsforpre-schoolchildrenshouldfocusoncreatingpositiveeducationalactivitiesthatpreparethemforkindergartenratherthanrecreationalactivitiesthatmerelykeepthementertained.

Eventhoughethnicparentsseepre-schoolasplayinganimportanteducationalrolefortheirchildren,lessthanthirtypercentofparentswithchildrenundertheageoffivehaveenrolledtheminsuchaprogram.HalfofLatinoparents,athirdofAfricanAmericanparentsandaquarterofAsianparentssaytherearenoqualitychildcareordaycarecentersintheirneighborhoodortownthattheycanafford.

Thereisstrongsupportforbilingualpre-schoolprogramsamongethnicparents.LatinoparentsarestronglysupportiveofbilingualprogramsoverprogramsentirelyinEnglishorSpanish.Surprisingly,AfricanAmer-icanparentsalsoshowsignificantsupportforpre-schoolbi-lingualprograms.Asianparentsweremoredivided.ThoseinterviewedinKorean,Vietnamese,MandarinandCantonesesupportbilingualpre-schoolprogramswhilethoseinterviewedinEnglishpreferEnglish-onlyprograms.




10 | Press Kit


CATHERINEATKINispresidentofPreschoolCaliforniaandanattorneyintheareaofearlycareandeducation.PriortojoiningPreschoolCalifornia,shewastheprincipalofaconsultingfirmspecializinginstrategicresearch,adirectingattorneyatPublicCounselLawCenterinLosAngelesandminoritysubcommitteecounselfortheBankingandFinancialServicesCommitteeoftheUnitedStatesHouseofRepresentatives.Sheholdsabachelor’sdegreefromStanford,a lawdegreefromUCBerkeley’sBoaltHallandaMastersinurbanplanningfromUCLA.ForinterviewswithCatherineAtkin,contact:IrisKong(510)[email protected]

SERGIOBENDIXEN,presidentofBendixen&Associates, is recognizedasthepreeminentexpert inHispanicpublicopinionresearchintheUnitedStatesandLatinAmerica.Withover25yearsofre-searchexperienceBendixenhasmasteredqualitativeandquantitativemethodologiesandhasim-plementeddetailedtechniquestoformulatestudiesandpollsthataccuratelygaugepublicopinion.Bendixen,incollaborationwithNewAmericaMedia,hasbeenapioneerofmultilingualpollingwithsurveysconductedinasmanyas12differentlanguages.ForinterviewswithSergioBendixen,contact:JackieHoward(305)[email protected]

SANDYCLOSEistheexecutivedirectorofNewAmericaMedia(NAM)–formerlyNewCaliforniaMedia–anationwideassociationofmorethan700ethnicnewsorganizations.Ajournalistforover40years,ClosehasbeenthedrivingforcebehindNAM’smissiontopromotethevisibilityofethnicmediaandtheir audiences since she founded the organization in 1996 under the umbrella of the non-profitPacificNewsService.Shehassinceledtheorganizationtoproducenationalexposandawardspro-gramsforethnicmedia.IncollaborationwithBendixen&Associates,Closepioneeredmultilingualpollingwithnationalandstate-widesurveysconductedinasmanyas12languages.ForinterviewswithSandyClose,contact:BrahmaniHouston(415)[email protected]

Interview Contacts



PATRICIAGÁNDARA,aprofessoratUniversityofCaliforniaatDavisSchoolofEducation,specializesineducationpolicy.Dr.GándarahasworkedfortheRANDCorporationasasocialscientist, intheCaliforniaLegislaturedirectingtheeducationresearchagendafortheStateAssembly,andservedasCommissionerforPostsecondaryEducationinCaliforniafrom1981-86.ForinterviewswithPatriciaGandara,contact:BrahmaniHouston(415)[email protected]

GRACIELA ITALIANO-THOMAS isCEOofLosAngelesUniversalPreschool.Before joiningLAUP, shewasateacher,principal,collegeprofessor,andCEOofCentrodelaFamiliadeUtah,inadditiontoservingasaseniorconsultanttotheNationalHeadStartBureau.Dr. Italiano-ThomashasreceivednumerousawardsforcontributionsmadetotheeducationofLatinosintheUnitedStates.ForinterviewswithGracielaItaliano-Thomas,contact:EmiliaPeña(213)[email protected]

ABDI SOLTANI is Executive Director for the Campaign for College Opportunity. Before joining theCampaign,SoltaniwasexecutivedirectorofCaliforniansforJustice.Soltaniwasalsoco-founderoftheCoalitionforanInformedCalifornia.SoltaniwasarecipientoftheJohnGardnerPublicServiceFellowshipandtheGerbodeFoundationFellowshipaftergraduatingfromStanford.ForinterviewswithAbdiSoltani,contact:ElisaBongiovanni(510)[email protected]

Interview Contacts


12 | Press Kit


NewAmericaMedia(NAM)isthecountry’sfirstandlargestcollaborationofethnicnewsorganizationsfoundedin1996bythenon-profitPacificNewsService.NAM’sgoalisto

promotetheeditorialvisibilityandeconomicviabilityofthiscriticalsectorofAmericanjournalismasawaytobuildinclusivepublicdiscourse.Withthismission,NAMhaspioneeredmultilingualpollingtobringethnic, immigrantandminorityvoicesintothepublicforum.NAMalsoholdsanationalawardsceremoniesandexposforethnicme-dia,producesandaggregateseditorialcontentfromandfortheethnicmedia;anddevelopsculturallyspecificsocialmarketingcampaigns.www.newamericamedia.org

About New America Media and Bendixen & Associates

thANk yOu

Funding for NAM’s Multilingual Polling comes from The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, The Walter and Elise Haas Sr. Fund, James Irvine Foundation, The California Endowment, The San Francisco Foun-dation and the Ford Foundation.

We would like to thank the following sponsors for their support of the news briefings for this poll: The Office of Assembleymem-ber Wilma Chan, The San Francisco Foundation and The California Endowment’s Center for Healthy Communities.

A very big thank you to all of those who helped us with preparation and dissemination of this poll, including:Tami Bui, Office of Senator Don Perata, President Pro TemporeSusanna Cooper, Preschool CaliforniaJoe Landon, Office of Assemblymember Wilma ChanLiz Saldivar, Cerrell Associates, Inc. Kristi Kimball, The William and Flora Hewlett FoundationPeter Shakow, Los Angeles Universal PreschoolJay SchenirerDale ShimasakiCharlene Simmons, California Research BureauSara Ying Rounsaville, The San Francisco Foundation

Bendixen&Associates(LOGO)_BendixenandAssociatesisapublicopinionresearch,manage-ment,andcommunicationsconsultingfirmbasedinMiami,Florida.Foundedin1984,thefirmhasgrownfromacompanywithrootsinpoliticalcampaignsandpollingintoaninternationalconsult-ingcompanythatincorporatesmanydisciplinesandsectors.Bendixen&AssociateshasmanagedprojectsthroughouttheU.S.,aswellasinCentralandSouthAmericaandhasdesignedandexecuted

hundredsofstudiesandexitpollsonLatinopublicopinionandelectoraltrendsformajormediaorganizations.Bendixen&AssociateshaspartneredwithNAMinpioneeringofmultilingualpollsthatyieldadepthandrichnessofopinionunattainableinEnglish-onlypolling.www.bendixenandassociates.com

Documents

Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino, Asian and ...media.newamericamedia.org/images/polls/edu_poll/nam_edu_poll.pdf · Great Expectations: Multilingual Poll of Latino,