SAN FRANCISCO—Ethnic and minority parents in California share high expectations for their children and rank education as a top concern, according to a New America Media multilingual poll, released on Wednesday, August 23. The results of the poll debunk many preconceptions about how immigrant and ethnic minorities view public education.
“This poll, like many others we’ve commissioned, proves how important it is to survey these groups in their own languages,” says Sandy Close, executive director of New America Media. Opinions among the three groups studied vary widely on a range of issues, reflecting important differences in their socio-economic and educational backgrounds.
Overall, poll findings show that ethnic and minority parents have aspirations that reach well beyond the hope that their children will earn a high school diploma. “The parents view schools as opportunity providers, not sorting mills. The overwhelming majority want their children to attain at least a college degree and are actively engaged in helping them succeed,” says Close. “They could become an important source of pressure to raise achievement levels in public schools in California.”
There is also strong support for early education programs, according to the poll. "This survey clearly shows that parents of all backgrounds want their children to have the best education possible, starting with quality preschool," said Graciela Italiano-Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles Universal Preschool (LAUP). "But it also shows that more needs to be done to make sure families have access to quality preschool programs in their communities."
Nationally recognized pollster Sergio Bendixen conducted the poll, commissioned by New America Media. Bendixen surveyed 602 Asian, African American and Latino parents in English, Spanish, Korean, Mandarin, Cantonese and Vietnamese. NAM, a nationwide non-profit association of ethnic media, has pioneered multilingual polling as a way to gauge the views of non-English speaking and ethnic minority populations normally excluded from mainstream public opinion surveys.
Sixty-five percent of the students in California’s public schools are members of the state’s new majority of ethnic minorities and over one-third speak languages other than English at home with their families. New America Media’s poll is the first to poll parents on education issues in their language of preference.
For information on the open briefings or to view poll results after release, visit www.newamericamedia.org/polls
