Article about Wake County Diversity Policy (Charlotte, Raleigh: home, neighborhoods, school districts)
Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, CaryThe Triangle Area
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I think this is a good read for parents on both sides of the debate. I was particularly interested in reading what the the experts had to say. It should be interesting to see how things go down the road.
Thanks NRG. You posted this while I was answering another question regarding this same issue. It will be interesting to see what happens. Of course, this debate has gone on for so long, I don't know when it will conclude. We will all have to stay tuned.
I don't really have an opinion on the issue, but I do find this mind-boggling:
"But Kahlenberg noted that Charlotte's high-school graduation rate, according to state data, was 12 percent lower than Wake's in 2008—just 66.6 percent of Charlotte's entering class from 2003 graduated four years later compared to 78.8 percent of Wake's."
I can't believe that in 2009 so many kids are not graduating from high school!
School diversity simply means diluting the real problems into schools that perform better. It's about time we fix the problem where it lies, rather than busing it somewhere else. Let's deal with the actual issues and make ALL schools top notch. This doesn't mean throwing more money at the issues without a plan either.
Also, here is a case where an article is posted that ANY of us could have read anywhere, yet I am happy it is posted so we can talk about it here. Many people complain about posting articles that we could read elsewhere, but I think it is important to post the interesting local ones here for open discussion. I am glad NRG posted it and I will continue to do the same, in an effort to make CD a great place..............up until 05/07/2009 anyhow.
A couple of comparison questions. How do Wake County demographics compare with Guilford County. Is it a valid socio-economic comparison? Secondly how would the Wake County schools perform if they were not united with Raleigh? The decision to unify is a 25 year old decision. What would the educational landscape for Wake County be if that decision had never been made? Has anyone ever measured student performance in the County schools isolating Wake County residents from Raleigh City and than aggregating them together as two distinct districts for comparison purposes. Would Wake schools if a not linked with Raleigh become one of the more elite performing districts in the country with the resulting increase in property values that goes with that recognition? What about college acceptance when the number of high achieving scholars per per capita increases? Just a thought. When the top high schools in the country are listed and school districts are listed is Wake being held back because of unification?
School diversity simply means diluting the real problems into schools that perform better. It's about time we fix the problem where it lies, rather than busing it somewhere else. Let's deal with the actual issues and make ALL schools top notch. This doesn't mean throwing more money at the issues without a plan either.
I'm on the fence about the school system's diversity policy.
I hear your argument all the time and on the surface it makes perfect sense. Are there problems with these low performing schools that can be fixed through administrative policies, programs, training, etc? Certainly. But the core of the problem is that the kids at these schools often don't have supportive home environments. Is that something that can be addressed by a school or a school system?
Anyway, as I said, I'm not certain about how I feel about the diversity policy but I am certain that there's more behind it than just "diluting the problem" and taking the easy way out. The idea is, by bringing more students who have a supportive home environment and interested, involved parents into schools where many kids don't have that advantage, the other kids will be helped and inspired by the example of their peers.
But when I think about having kids myself, I can't help but think that I want the absolute best for them. I don't want them to be placed in a school with a gang problem, or with teachers who are hardened and deal with everybody as if they were a 'problem', or to have the expectation on their shoulders of not only succeeding in a less-than-ideal environment, but also bringing the other students up too. That makes me want to move into a rich neighborhood with a rich neighborhood school where all the kids come in with high expectations.
Does the WCPS diversity policy actually work? I haven't really seen concrete data either way, particularly not specific to Wake County Schools. But at the very least, I realize it's a complicated issue.
I'm torn on the issue. I'd love neighborhood schools to work. As a product of the WCPSS, I've seen the diversity policy work on some level. I've seen kids bussed from bad neighborhoods to good ones and they've excelled. I think an entire school of disadvantaged kids is doomed to fail. It's an ugly truth. I think the problems run deep, and it's not an easy fix. Now I have a crying kid and have to go. Be back later.
The study claims that the diversification policy has no adverse impact on high performing students. Think about this for a second. Suppose your child is a good student. The school system removes some high performers and replaces them with a few disruptive yahoos and a couple kids that don't speak english. How is this not an adverse impact to the good students? It is. However; the school system hires a bunch of "experts" to write reports which tell us otherwise. My child is supposed to suffer because other kids have parents who don't give a darn?
Is a school full of disadvantaged kids more likely to underperform? Probably but guess what? My responsibility is to my kids not someone elses. We should put a stop to all of this "social engineering". Charlotte saw the light. Why can't WCPSS?
I've seen kids bussed from bad neighborhoods to good ones and they've excelled.
And what happens to the kid in a good neighborhood who would normally do well, but is bussed away from his/her local school to be put into a school that has many trouble students or is a low performing school? Doesn't anyone think this may adversely affect this child?
From my own limited experience, I don't see the diversity issue working. I think more important to the equation is a student who wants to excel and parents who support that. Someone who truly wants to better himself/herself will do so. Busing kids across town isn't going to make a difference. If the fear is that we aren't getting good teachers in those schools, then offer an incentive for them to be there. Not having a teachers union could work to an advantage here. We keep making nonsensical decisions, such as starting schoool ten minutes earlier for next year. You are taking an age group that needs more sleep, doesn't go to sleep early, for the most part and now starting school even earlier. What time are the first kids getting on the bus? I'm sorry, but when you take away neighborhood schools, no one takes ownership of it. There is a real disconnect and parents who would otherwise be involved, stay away. Who is actually winning here??
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