Blog 13: Summary of Project Findings

BLOG 13:
SUMMARY OF PROJECT FINDINGS

WALKING OBSERVATION FINDINGS
During my walking observations of Union City I found that this community is very rich in Latin American culture. The majority of people are of Hispanic descent, although there is a large Hasidic Jewish community in the area surrounding the Jewish Community Center of North Hudson. Spanish is the language that is most heard, and it is spoken by all the age groups. English is also spoken, although mainly by young adults and teenagers. Something that stood out was that in most instances, teenagers spoke English when talking amongst themselves, however many were observed switching to Spanish when speaking to an adult figure. The restaurants of this community speak of its Latin American diversity, with a variety of Cuban, Caribbean, Mexican, and Central and South American cuisine.
Housing in this community consists mainly of two and three family homes, as well as a few apartment buildings. In some areas the homes have a nicer more maintained appearance. There is also a lot of new housing construction, mostly observed in areas where it appears that the community is being renovated. The commercial districts, especially Bergenline Avenue, seem to have a steady flow of consumer traffic. Most businesses are catered to this Hispanic community in that their services are offered in Spanish, or offer bilingual personnel. Something that caught my attention is that there is an enormous amount of daycare centers, almost on every block. This community also has the advantage of being very close to New York City, as can be observed by the skyline view in many areas. Union City has a close proximity a few of New Jersey’s major highways, and is also located near Weehawken, Hoboken, and Jersey City, which provide direct transportation to and from Manhattan. Another observation made was that although this community is so heavily populated, it maintains a fairly clean appearance. The sanitation department conducts timely pick-ups of garbage and recycling, and there are garbage cans practically on every corner.
As mentioned, various structures including City Hall and Jose Marti Middle School seem to have been renovated. The community also houses the offices of Senator Stack. Throughout the community there are a wide variety of churches of different denominations, including Christian, Catholic, Hasidic Jewish, and Jehovah’s Witnesses. There are a total of eleven public schools and a new high school and athletic complex is currently under construction

HIGH SCHOOL PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENT (HSPA) FINDINGS
The results of my study replicate the findings of previous research which have shown that Hispanics generally test below their white counterparts. The HSPA results for Union Hill High School reveal that the white population tested higher than the Hispanic population in both Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics. Although in the Language of Arts Literacy the Hispanic population tested slightly higher than the white population in the Proficient category, they tested noticeable lower in the Advanced Proficiency category, and higher in the Partial Proficiency category. Because of the small level of white students tested in Emerson, testing results were not disclosed for this group. Below are the HSPA results for both schools.




Emerson High School

High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)
LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY: 2007-08 Number Tested Proficiency Percentages
Partial Proficient Advanced
Limited English Proficient Students School 49 83.7% 16.3% 0%
White School * * * *
Hispanic School 281 31.7% 68.7% 4.6%
*To protect the privacy of students, the Department of Education suppresses sufficient information to eliminate the possibility that personally identifiable information will be disclosed.

High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)
MATHEMATICS: 2007-08 Number Tested Proficiency Percentages
Partial Proficient Advanced
Limited English Proficient Students School 48 81.3% 18.8% 0%
White School * * * *
Hispanic School 280 42.1% 50% 7.9%
*To protect the privacy of students, the Department of Education suppresses sufficient information to eliminate the possibility that personally identifiable information will be disclosed.

Union Hill High School

High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)
LANGUAGE ARTS LITERACY: 2007-08 Number Tested Proficiency Percentages
Partial Proficient Advanced
Limited English Proficient Students School 52 76.9% 23.1% 0%
White School 11 27.3% 63.6% 9.1%
Hispanic School 287 29.3% 69.7% 1%
*To protect the privacy of students, the Department of Education suppresses sufficient information to eliminate the possibility that personally identifiable information will be disclosed.


High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA)
MATHEMATICS: 2007-08 Number Tested Proficiency Percentages
Partial Proficient Advanced
Limited English Proficient Students School 52 59.6% 40.4% 0%
White School 11 27.3% 63.6% 9.1%
Hispanic School 287 40.4% 51.6% 8%
*To protect the privacy of students, the Department of Education suppresses sufficient information to eliminate the possibility that personally identifiable information will be disclosed.
The question remains, why do Hispanic students always test below their white counterparts and what can be done to bring this population’s test results to the same level. What is really troubling is the fact that the Hispanic population makes up the largest part of the community, and yet they still test below the white population. My expectations were that the Hispanic student population would test at the same level as the white student population, but this was not the case. Also troubling were the results of the Limited English Proficient Students, which revealed that a 0% Advanced Proficiency for the Language Arts Literacy and Mathematics tests in both schools. This population also tested noticeably lower in the Proficient category, and had exceptionally higher results in the Partial Proficiency categories when compared to both the white and Hispanic populations.