Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ)

Communities experiencing poverty

The Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) is designed to end intergenerational poverty in Central Harlem and lead the way for other long-distressed communities nationwide and around the world to do the same.

HCZ aims to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty with on-the-ground, all-around programming that builds up opportunities for children and families to thrive in school, work, and life. From early childhood, education, and career programs to community outreach and wellness initiatives, HCZ hopes to open pathways to mobility and prosperity.

HCZ’s mission centers around the belief that the most powerful way to fight poverty is to invest in every opportunity for people to rise above it. From education and employment to housing and healthy living, HCZ aims to do whatever it takes so that Central Harlem’s children, families, and communities can live up to their promising futures.

Harlem Children’s Zone

• Website: https://www.hcz.org
• Email: info@hcz.org
• Phone: (212) 360-3255

Publicly available information indicates there is some training available for this program. See contact info.

Training Information

There is training available for this program.

“What is included in the Relevant Published, Peer-Reviewed Research section?”

• Note: The following study was not included in rating Harlem Children’s Zone on the Scientific Rating Scale.

  Dobbie, W., & Fryer Jr, R. G. (2011). Are high-quality schools enough to increase achievement among the poor? Evidence from the Harlem Children’s Zone. American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, 3(3), 158–187. https://doi.org/10.1257/app.3.3.158

  Summary:

  The purpose of the study was to provide the first empirical test of the causal impact of Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) charters on educational outcomes. Participants were either attending a school within the Harlem Children’s Zone or in a geographic zone outside the HCZ. Measures utilized include information from files at HCZ and administrative data on student demographics and outcomes from the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE). Results indicate that both lottery and instrumental variable identification strategies suggest that the effects of attending an HCZ middle school are enough to close the black-white achievement gap in mathematics. The effects in elementary school are large enough to close the racial achievement gap in both mathematics and ELA. Limitations include the small sample size, nonrandomization of participants, and lack of follow-up. Note: This study was not used for rating Harlem Children’s Zone in the Place-based Initiatives topic area because it did not study outcomes related to children maltreatment as defined in the topic area definition.

There are currently no references available for Harlem Children’s Zone.