Community Research - Asbury Park, NJ

         This week I started doing the research for the community project, and the community I have to research is Asbury Park, NJ. I chose to focus on the Asbury Park High school for my research. I found that most of the student body is composed of African American students, having more than four times more students of this ethnicity that the NJ average, and a very low number of White students.
         Half of the student body is living in poverty, and score low compared to the NJ percentage on the HSPA exam in Math. The scored for language arts are in the same range as NJ's, it is probably due to being composed of mainly African American students, and having a low percentage of LEP students.
         As for the community the median age is 34, which is an age where most people are settled and make a little more money. But, the percentage of people who completed a bachelor's degree is only 17.4%, and the median household income is $33,663, having 32.4% of families living below the poverty level. These statistics along with the NJ standard of living, make the information we have been reading more realistic. I can see how the numbers in those studies translates to people in a community and how this can affect test scores such as in HSPA test.  The numbers and percentages so far state that this community is for the most part poor, but when I looked at the town website, they made it a point to show beautiful buildings, and discuss the boardwalk, and it seems like the town is composed of many landmarks and fun things to do. The website does not communicate and idea or hint of a poor community, therefore I look forward to visiting the town and seeing the community how it really is.