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Flooding The
Board of Directors:
Zone
Alan Bersin
Kevin Chavous (Chairman)
Boykin Curry An unprecedented three-month “school choice” cam-
Tony Davis paign in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood in 2008 re-
Charlie Ledley sulted in enhanced political support for public charter schools
Rafael Mayer from local politicians and increased awareness and support
from the public. This paper takes a brief look at the thinking
Sara Mead
behind the Harlem school choice campaign, the implementa-
John Petry tion of the campaign, and the short-term results which were
Dianne Piche measured through polling and increased political support for
Andrew Rotherham reforms, specifically including public charter schools in Har-
Whitney Tilson lem.
Caprice Young
Despite messaging that highlighted the widespread and
Board of Advisors: longstanding failure of traditional public schools in the neigh-
borhood, the increase in support for public charter schools did
William Ackman not reduce the percentage of respondents who believed that
Steve Barr public education had improved in recent years.
Cory Booker
In New York, strong support for charter schools from
David Einhorn
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel Klein
Joel Greenblatt have reinforced the notion that the introduction of popular
Michael Novogratz high-performing charter schools like Harlem Success, KIPP,
Tom Vander Ark Harlem Village Academy, Harlem Day, Sisulu Walker, Har-
Angus Davis lem Link, Democracy Prep, the Harlem Children’s Zone and
many, many others are part of a comprehensive strategy to
Executive Director: save public education in the city and provide parents with
Joe Williams meaningful choices for their children’s education.
joewilliams@dfer.org
• The Challenge:
• The Players:
• The Campaign:
Fig. 1
!
Source: School Choice Selected Issues. A Survey of Attitudes and Opinions: 500 Likely
General Election Voters, New York 15th Congressional District. Margin of Error,+/-4.9
Six mailings were sent to a universe of 15,000 - 35,000 families
and 200,000 leaflets were placed under doors at every one of Har-
lem’s public housing complexes. The literature featured several
different school choice messages to Harlem parents. Some mail-
ings simply informed parents that they had a choice in where to
send their children to school, and urging them to make the most of
it. Other mailings specifically advertised the four Harlem schools
operated by SCN, but kept to the same school choice themes and
messaging. (Meanwhile, other charter schools in New York City
also found novel ways to market their schools to families for the
2008 student lotteries. At the Bronx Community Charter School,
for example, organizers got a local Mexican restaurant to attach
bright orange fliers announcing the school, in English and in
Spanish).
Democrats for Education Reform 4
and support for public charter schools, and support (or lack
thereof) for policies allowing parents to choose schools for their
children.
• The Results:
More than 1,400 people turned The campaign achieved significant results, both in terms
out for DFER’s “Harlem Charter of the impact on public opinion and awareness, and in the re-
School Night” rally action of elected officials – both supporters and opponents of
school choice offerings. City Comptroller William Thompson, a
candidate for mayor of New York with a weak record of support
for charter schools, nonetheless pointed to the significant parent
demand that was displayed in Harlem in public remarks he made
about education.
ous years had opposed allowing public charter schools to use pub-
lic school space, near the end of the campaign explained:
“Frankly, folks are fleeing the public school system. And in flee-
ing they’re looking for any alternative. Sometimes they wind
up going to charter schools, because they figure, it can’t be any
worse. Sometimes they go to parochial schools not because
they’re Catholic or because they want a faith-based teaching, but
because their public school experience has been for them dismal.”
The campaign saw its most dramatic impact with the par-
ent consumers it targeted. Of the roughly 3,666 Harlem students
eligible for Kindergarten enrollment, 1,521 students submitted an
application for the Harlem Success lottery - a stunning 41% of
eligible students.