New poll: Most in NJ see no school segregation (but there is)

A Rutgers-Eagleton/Fairleigh Dickinson University poll finds most New Jerseyans do not perceive any segregation in their schools. But research shows we have one of the highest segregation levels in the country.

Eagleton Poll Director Ashley Koning says the poll finds 83% believe Jersey schools have a good ethnic and racial mix. But 1 in 3 in the poll say the actual mix in their local schools is mostly white.

Research from the UCLA Civil Rights Project shows New Jersey has the sixth-highest level of segregation of black students and seventh-highest for Latin-American students.

"Yet most (New Jersey) residents' perceptions seem at odds with reality, except for those who may experience it firsthand, due to their own race, ethnicity or economic status," Koning said.

Koning says the school segregation in New Jersey is not intentional. She calls it "a byproduct" of socioeconomic status.

The majority of respondents in the poll see no need for change: 64% feel things are "fine the way they are" when it comes to diversity in their local schools. But 26% say they would like to see more racial and ethnic diversity.

Joe Cutter is the Senior News Anchor on New Jersey 101.5