5,000 parents flood school fair in Harlem

Parents bounced from table to table at a Harlem school fair on Saturday, filling up tote bags with pamphlets and eagerly asking about admissions requirements. Harlem has one of the highest concentrations of charter schools of any neighborhood in the country, and yet it seems that the demand for educational options is still strong: thousands of parents waited in the cold in order to gain admission to the fair promoting school choice. More than 50 schools were represented - the majority of which were charter schools, although private, parochial, and local zoned schools also had tables.

The fair, which was organized by the Success Charter School network, succeeded in showing how many parents supported school choice. It was less successful in managing the crowd - families were forced to wait outside for up to an hour before a squadron of police officers allowed them in ("Why the massive police presence?" one mother said. "We came here for our children's education - it sets the wrong tone.") Many parents brought their children, and since there were no child-centric activities or distractions offered, by the end of the afternoon, the large City College gym had played host to several (understandable) meltdowns.

Parents continued to move from booth to booth, asking what grade levels each school served and if their child could possibly win a spot in the lottery, while Chancellor Klein shouted into a microphone crediting Mayor Bloomberg with the proliferation of charter schools. Although event organizers tried to shush the crowd, neither the educators nor the parents wanted to stop for politics.

“I am here to find the best school for my daughter,” one parent said, as she approached the Insideschools.org table. “Can you help me?”