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Yeah, that was after Tedesco and crew took over the school board. You might want to research a little farther back too.
I don't understand your point. Are you saying that these lower-income folks intentionally did not participate in the pilot in order to spite the republican-majority board? Or is it that at the end of the day, people just want to go to schools that are proximate to them, regardless of income level?
You’re confusing the Tedesco board with the Tony Tata school choice plan of 2012-13. Which not surprisingly caused HUGE problems with transportation. That was the year Davis Drive elementary and middle schools had the kids riding the same bus. Over 2500 kids arriving on the adjacent campuses on 30 buses driving all over western Wake County. First few days of school kids were up to 30 minutes late for school because of the traffic disaster that ensued. That was also the year they moved GHHS to 7:25 start time so all three schools that are in the same feeder and ostensibly use the same buses were starting at the exact same time. Good times!
But yeah the Tata plan was basically a way to see what people would actually do if they could go to any school they wanted.
I believe Great Schools in Wake is a politically affiliated group (meaning - they all lean one way). I’m trying to avoid the radicals on either side.
Yep, got it. A big part of this is our current political climate and the "PC" nature of it. I'm not the only one in nearby neighborhoods thinking this.
Actually, let's leave East Asian and South Asians out of this. Let's get real - many people chose to live in west Cary to have their kids go to the same school as similar socioeconomic backgrounds. Therefore, people will fight forever when their kid goes to some other school that is not even in the area. This is how people behave. What's wrong with that?
This utopian idea that Wake county schools board of education idea has is not feasible considering the size of Wake County, population of the county, and the number of people moving here everyday.
My personal opinion is we should spend the money on the lower-performing schools, rather than chasing diversity.
I think we could do away with magnet busing. If you want your kid going to the magnet, you can find a way to transport them. I think there should be magnet "programs", which can allow you to gain diversity by MOVING the program as needed every 5 years or so. For example, there are several ITB schools with high socio-economics NOW, that have had magnet programs for a long time. The magnet isn't needed to bring "white flight" back. Take that magnet program, move it to downtown Cary where appropriate, or downtown Raleigh where appropriate.
And I think we need to even more go to "base funding", and then spend extra money on low-performing schools. For example, through federal and state maybe each school gets $6K/student (current level from them). Take $2K of the extra ~$3K Waske Co spends per student, and spend it on the schools that have > 40% ED/FnR students. It would most likely be spent on higher teacher salaries or more assistants, and smaller classroom sizes (where the physical plant allows).
Now, lots of "West Cary"-type folks would really scream bloody murder at that. But as you've said - the overriding reason they picked their location was a) attend a good school of similar socio-economic background and b) commute to work. But I'm a big believer that kids from 2-earner or more importantly 2-degree families can and will succeed in any environment that is safe and orderly. And it's a heckuva lot easier for teachers to interact with families that are involved and bring their 5% of little Johnnies up to speed than 30% of the kids. I know what the PTA's can raise in money each year.
I don't understand your point. Are you saying that these lower-income folks intentionally did not participate in the pilot in order to spite the republican-majority board? Or is it that at the end of the day, people just want to go to schools that are proximate to them, regardless of income level?
Didn't have any implications other than what I said. There is a lot of WCPSS history to go through before the board takeover and the appointment of Tata. After the Tedesco board was elected was when things really started to change (and many would say not for the better) for WCPSS.
This case study (PDF) presented at a national conference highlights some of the many successes at WCPSS before 2004. Lots of data to wade through.
Quote:
Originally Posted by twingles
I believe Great Schools in Wake is a politically affiliated group (meaning - they all lean one way). I’m trying to avoid the radicals on either side.
They explicitly say they are not, but I really don't know anything about them or their parent org. I just thought their timeline was informative. So often it's hard to put what is happening right now into context in a bigger picture.
Quote:
Who We Are
Great Schools in Wake Coalition (GSIW) is a project of Public Schools First NC. GSIW is a community coalition of organizations, business leaders, parents and citizen advocates who are working to ensure educational excellence in the Wake County Public School System. GSIW’s mission is to provide accurate information to educate the public about policy initiatives that would impact the quality of education, foster well-informed discussions about critical education issues, and advocate for policies that improve public education in Wake County.
Public Schools First NC is a statewidenonpartisan[emphasis added] organization focused solely on public education issues. We collaborate with teachers, parents, business and civic leaders, students, and communities across North Carolina in support of an effective public education system that will prepare each child for life. Public Schools First NC is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization. Your donation is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
I was pretty sure they were a right leaning organization, but I'd have to delve deeper into the memory banks to get there.
I wouldn't have a problem with the proposition to move money around, I'm sure not sure that throwing money at a problem is always the answer. For sure areas of western Wake fund a lot with PTA funds. The state has already mandated lower K-3 class sizes, so we will see what happens with that. In our old district in NY our kindergartens were 17-18 kids, and first grade 21 kids. NO teaching assistants. I'm not sure you can have your cake and eat it too with smaller class sizes and a TA in every class - if you can't get that in NY you're not getting that here.
But having a TA in the class SHOULD enable the teacher to have kids work in small groups and even one on one with the kids and that would likely be a big help.
I don't understand your point. Are you saying that these lower-income folks intentionally did not participate in the pilot in order to spite the republican-majority board? Or is it that at the end of the day, people just want to go to schools that are proximate to them, regardless of income level?
For whatever reason, it is a fact that the vast majority of lower-income folks do not put enough value in education to take an active role in their children's education. It's largely information - they seem to ignore it. The "universal free school lunch" debate is a perfect example. You get mail, you get robocalls, you get texts about enrolling your child. The only way to NOT enroll a deserving child is to ignore the communications sent. So we'll just give EVERY child free school meals for whatever % it is that don't proactively enroll their deserving child?
Another example - on opening day of school, you will have parents wander into the nearby school - whether it be a K or they moved to the area - and assume they just drop the kid off. Sometimes, because of our assignments, they're at the wrong school! I've been seeing this for 13 years now, and it's the same every year. And it has always been low socio-economic folks who ignore the concept of pre-registering your child for school.
there's not a "pro schools" organization I've heard of that is "right-leaning". WakeEd Partnership, GSIW, etc. I could always be wrong. They get business buy-in because the business-types want a good "chamber of commerce" message and they want educated 18 year olds.
I think some of the ITB schools are magnets, because they were under-enrolled due to the demographics of the neighborhood. Older kids and residents. They should change the priorities for their schools. Brooks does not need to attract more white, upper middle class kids to their school. They’ve changed some of the priorities for Wiley and Underwood.
Also traditionally the magnet programs have gone to schools that are underenrolled, so I’m not sure why schools like Combs should still be magnets if the base is also capped.
That being said, I don’t think five years is enough time for a school to be a magnet. That would mean that none of the students would benefit from the magnet program all the way through. Others would only benefit from the school for a portion of their schooling.
I think some of the ITB schools are magnets, because they were under-enrolled due to the demographics of the neighborhood. Older kids and residents. They should change the priorities for their schools. Brooks does not need to attract more white, upper middle class kids to their school. They’ve changed some of the priorities for Wiley and Underwood.
Also traditionally the magnet programs have gone to schools that are underenrolled, so I’m not sure why schools like Combs should still be magnets if the base is also capped.
That being said, I don’t think five years is enough time for a school to be a magnet. That would mean that none of the students would benefit from the magnet program all the way through. Others would only benefit from the school for a portion of their schooling.
yes, they were magnets because of enrollment %'s, and I'm sure back in the day to placate the "ruling class" ITB. Call it 5, call it 7 - just determine a period of time when the "objectives" of magnet schools have been met, and then move them where they need to be.
If a parent is willing to drive their child 15 minutes to a magnet, I believe they're willing to go 20.
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