“It doesn’t really matter the ethnic makeup, I just want the best school possible for my kids.”

Michael, who moved to Long Island from the Bronx, says he wanted a better upbringing for his children and access to a good school district. He also emphasized that he wasn’t worried about the ethnic makeup of his neighborhood, his only concern was sending his children to a good school.

As a follow-up to nextLI’s 2019 survey of the next generation of Long Islanders, nextLI conducted two focus groups to look at the future of diversity and housing on Long Island.

Discussions centered on the changing demographics of Long Island, perceptions of Long Island’s multicultural climate, the racial and ethnic diversity in our communities, the role of school districts in diversity and reactions to Newsday’s Long Island Divided series.