Long Island School Districts and Diversity: Percentages (Smithtown, Levittown: chapel, mortgage)

[nbres]

New Ideas about White Flight.

I don't think White Flight really exists so much as White Fade. White Flight was common during the 1950s and 1960s in New York City when White families would sell their homes in quick succession when the first non-White moved on the block. Whie Flight was lpartly responsible for the rapid growth of the Nassau and Suffolk suburbs.

However, today we are not seeing White Flight from the suburbs of Long Island, but rather a gradual fading out of White residents in certain areas. And in fact in many areas the White population may decline, but eventually satabilizes. The declines and stabilization of the White residents is reflected in the school district data supplied at the start of this thread.

As discussed earlier and agreed upon by most is that an areas change in demographics doesn't mean a necessary change in school quality. It appears that class is overtaking race as the divider. Whites will move into an area that is predominantly non-White if the school district is perceived as very good.

So then, what is happening to the White population on Long Island? Several trends are at work at the same ime that are causing White Fade: 1. An aging White population - in certain parts of Nassau especially it feels more like Florida - everyone is old. 2. Whites tend to get married much later and have fewer children. 3. The outmigration from LI to elsewhere by Whites who are young single, married or families with children.

As the White population on LI remains relatively stagnant the growth of the Hispanic, Asian and Black populations have been explosive. These groups are partly moving out of NYC to the suburbs, but their growth is also due to high birth rates and immigration directly to LI. As Whites Fade out these groups are buying into suburbis; they merely want what everyone else wants.

[Jrprofess]

Originally Posted by nbres

Here are the top 10 School Districts based on the number of students graduating with Advanced Regents Diplomas.

1. Jericho
2. Great Neck
3. Syosset
4. Manhasset
5. Garden City
6. Roslyn
7. Plainview
8. Cold Spring Harbor
9. Herricks
10. Half Hollow Hills

This topic concerning schools has been referenced a number of times but my tongue in cheek title is meant to note the need for perspective when considering these stats. It is difficult to state these districts are the top of the top just based on the raw number of Advanced Regents. For many districts, the attainment of this degree and other corrollating factors such as AP class availability, etc, do not allow for the same ceiling of numbers to be reached, regardless of how talented a student body might be.

Granted, these are all very strong school disticts and the resources (read "money") in those areas provide a bottomless well of aid, test preparation and academic opportunity that every school would welcome (and should). I do always chuckle at the "test" scores every year where the same districts are on top...apparently the intellectual gene pool in each of these areas manages to avoid any special education populations and/or dumb jocks each and every single year. I find that fascinating ....

[GCGuy]

I do not disagree, but you have to admit that there are some school districts that produce "more successful" kids, however that comes about. As far as this list, it is what it is...a list of schools with the most advance regents. That's it. In this case, it does seem to correlate with what are perceived to be some of the best SDs.

Originally Posted by Jrprofess

This topic concerning schools has been referenced a number of times but my tongue in cheek title is meant to note the need for perspective when considering these stats. It is difficult to state these districts are the top of the top just based on the raw number of Advanced Regents. For many districts, the attainment of this degree and other corrollating factors such as AP class availability, etc, do not allow for the same ceiling of numbers to be reached, regardless of how talented a student body might be.

Granted, these are all very strong school disticts and the resources (read "money") in those areas provide a bottomless well of aid, test preparation and academic opportunity that every school would welcome (and should). I do always chuckle at the "test" scores every year where the same districts are on top...apparently the intellectual gene pool in each of these areas manages to avoid any special education populations and/or dumb jocks each and every single year. I find that fascinating ....

[nbres]

[quote=Jrprofess;3306946]This topic concerning schools has been referenced a number of times but my tongue in cheek title is meant to note the need for perspective when considering these stats. It is difficult to state these districts are the top of the top just based on the raw number of Advanced Regents. For many districts, the attainment of this degree and other corrollating factors such as AP class availability, etc, do not allow for the same ceiling of numbers to be reached, regardless of how talented a student body might be.

Granted, these are all very strong school disticts and the resources (read "money") in those areas provide a bottomless well of aid, test preparation and academic opportunity that every school would welcome (and should). I do always chuckle at the "test" scores every year where the same districts are on top...apparently the intellectual gene pool in each of these areas manages to avoid any special education populations and/or dumb jocks each and every single year. I find that fascinating ....[/QUOTE]

Not really... Many of these top districts take care of their special education populations quite well...As far as the "dumb jocks" who says all jocks are dumb.

[fopt65]

Originally Posted by nbres

New Ideas about White Flight.

I don't think White Flight really exists so much as White Fade. White Flight was common during the 1950s and 1960s in New York City when White families would sell their homes in quick succession when the first non-White moved on the block. Whie Flight was lpartly responsible for the rapid growth of the Nassau and Suffolk suburbs.

However, today we are not seeing White Flight from the suburbs of Long Island, but rather a gradual fading out of White residents in certain areas. And in fact in many areas the White population may decline, but eventually satabilizes. The declines and stabilization of the White residents is reflected in the school district data supplied at the start of this thread.

As discussed earlier and agreed upon by most is that an areas change in demographics doesn't mean a necessary change in school quality. It appears that class is overtaking race as the divider. Whites will move into an area that is predominantly non-White if the school district is perceived as very good.

So then, what is happening to the White population on Long Island? Several trends are at work at the same ime that are causing White Fade: 1. An aging White population - in certain parts of Nassau especially it feels more like Florida - everyone is old. 2. Whites tend to get married much later and have fewer children. 3. The outmigration from LI to elsewhere by Whites who are young single, married or families with children.

As the White population on LI remains relatively stagnant the growth of the Hispanic, Asian and Black populations have been explosive. These groups are partly moving out of NYC to the suburbs, but their growth is also due to high birth rates and immigration directly to LI. As Whites Fade out these groups are buying into suburbis; they merely want what everyone else wants.

An important consideration you are forgetting about is interracial marriages have become more prevalent. If a white person marries a black person, that child is no longer considered white to the census. Extrapolate that to inter racial marriages among whites, hispanics, and asians and that in itself can explain a lot of the white fade.

[VTP]

Scroll above and take a look at the Michigan forum thread "Is White Flight Right?" This topic is discussed at length It's very revealing. A lot of interesting points are raised on both sides.

[OhBeeHave]

Originally Posted by VTP

Scroll above and take a look at the Michigan forum thread "Is White Flight Right?" This topic is discussed at length It's very revealing. A lot of interesting points are raised on both sides.

I took your advice and checked it out. Interesting. There's one woman on there who is a wonderful poster -- clear, concise, well thought out and a pleasure to read.

[NS4Ever]

White flight never seemed so much to be about "non-whites" moving in, as it was about blacks, specifically. Today, most white people inclined to flight still see things that way, with another growing ethnic group included in the mix -- Hispanic. As much as some white people might carry on about Asians, they don't necessarily perceive them as a possible physical threat, whether from violence and/or other quality-of-life issues.

So the whole "percentage of non-white" should be further clarified, if possible, with a breakdown of the non-white groups. It will become obvious that certain school districts are comprised of more non-white, but Asian students, rather than black or Hispanic.

I think (although I may be wrong) that this is the information many people are most concerned with.

[VTP]

Originally Posted by NS4Ever

So the whole "percentage of non-white" should be further clarified, if possible, with a breakdown of the non-white groups. It will become obvious that certain school districts are comprised of more non-white, but Asian students, rather than black or Hispanic.

I fully agree. Whenever I hear people either merely discussing the issue or expressing a desire to avoid this situation in their own community (as is the frequent case with my neighbors) there is a definite divide, with the groups specified by NS4Ever, above, as the subjects of the most concern.

[nbres]

Originally Posted by NS4Ever

White flight never seemed so much to be about "non-whites" moving in, as it was about blacks, specifically. Today, most white people inclined to flight still see things that way, with another growing ethnic group included in the mix -- Hispanic. As much as some white people might carry on about Asians, they don't necessarily perceive them as a possible physical threat, whether from violence and/or other quality-of-life issues.

So the whole "percentage of non-white" should be further clarified, if possible, with a breakdown of the non-white groups. It will become obvious that certain school districts are comprised of more non-white, but Asian students, rather than black or Hispanic.

I think (although I may be wrong) that this is the information many people are most concerned with.

The data I provided came from the NY DOE via Newsday and did not provide a full racial breakdown for the school districts on Long Island. However, I anticipate full breakdowns to be published soon for the 2006-2007 school year. I expect some interesting data trends.

As far as your comment about certain districts have more Asian students rather than black or Hispanic I will have to give you some old data based on 2005-2006 numbers.

Top Ten Percent Asian based on data that is already two years old. New data will probably indicate significant growth in Asian percentages in all of the below districts.

Herricks 42.9%
New Hyde Park - Garden City Park 35.3%
Syosset 19.2%
Great Neck 18.5%
Jericho 18.2%
Port Washingtom 12.5%
Manhasset 12.2%
Half Hollow Hills 10.3%
Roslyn 9.7%
East Williston 9.4%

The numbers clearly show that Asians are moving into the best school districts and are obviously not bringing down the quality of those districts.