Some of the groups who've spent the past three years fighting efforts to eliminate diversity from Wake County's student assignment policies are now focusing on statewide education issues.

As noted in today's article by John Frank and Lynn Bonner, several liberal advocacy groups have joined to form Public Schools First NC. Their goal during the legislative agenda that opens today is to counter "the growing threat to privatize and weaken North Carolina’s public schools."

Members of PSFNC include the Great Schools in Wake Coalition, the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children, the Raleigh-Wake Citizens Association and the N.C. Justice Center.

A recent Duke University study is giving high marks to the Wake County school system's old socioeconomic diversity policy.

The study found that the racial balance in North Carolina’s public schools has remained steady since 2005-06. But the study also that students are increasingly separated by income.

Amid this picture, the Duke study notes that "Wake County, with its longstanding policy of busing for economic balance, maintains relatively integrated schools." In contrast, the study found that "districts that have pursued more choice-driven plans in lieu of busing, such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg, have higher rates of racial imbalance."

After much discussion and revision, the Wake County school board is finally set to vote Tuesday on a math placement policy that reflects the new common core standards.

Staff is supposed to present this version of the policy, which has gone through at least six versions over the past year. Compare it to the version (pages 14-15 of this handout) that the board told staff to work from two weeks ago.

One difference in the latest iteration is that staff has apparently gone back to restricting teachers from using their judgment to recommend placing students in a class lower than student data suggests. They can recommend a higher placement.

Three Triangle academics weighed in Wednesday with data they say shows the Wake County school system could have problems if it scraps the diversity policy.

As noted in today's article by Thomas Goldsmith, research was presented at the Great Schools in Wake Coalition press briefing showing that high-poverty schools statewide tend to have lower quality teachers. Those schools have the highest percentage of teachers with less than three years' experience, with lower teacher test scores and with degrees from lower-quality colleges.

"By every measure, high-poverty schools have teachers (and also principals) with weaker credentials than other schools," said Helen Ladd, a Duke University professor of public policy studies and economics.

Here's the next step in the lead up to Tuesday's vote by the Wake County school board on the community schools assignment resolution.

This morning, the Great Schools in Wake Coalition will hold a press briefing to "provide the news media with a summary of findings, detailed research reports and direct access to a panel of researchers from Duke University, UNC Chapel Hill and NC State University."

"A significant body of research exists in support of current assignment policy, including the benefits of socioeconomically diverse schools," according to GSIW press release.