Six Wake County schools will benefit from a new education program launched by LEGO Education that will promote the STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concept.

LEGO Education North America and the Education Blueprint Association are giving the Wake County school system two $40,000 grants with the district providing a matching $80,000. Wake is receiving two of the 14 regional centers for the LEGO Smart Schools program.

The money will allow three Raleigh schools (Combs Elementary, Centennial Campus Middle and Athens Drive High) and three Knightdale schools (Hodge Road Elementary, East Wake Middle and Knightdale High) to receive special hands-on programs from LEGO.

More details about what the schools will receive will be unveiled at a presentation this morning at Combs.

When it comes time to make a decision, will Southeast Raleigh families still continue to go to suburban schools or opt to stay in their neighborhoods?

As noted in today's article, the Southeast Raleigh families have traditionally been silent when it comes to participating in Wake County's student assignment process. That was shown again Thursday at Southeast Raleigh High when only 30 people showed up at the latest student assignment public meeting.

A lot could depend on what Southeast Raleigh families think about the old diversity policy.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST

Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata is recommending two vastly differently approaches to deal with under-enrolled schools.

As noted in today's article, one approach had the school board voting Tuesday to set aside $896,000 to provide additional teachers to five small underutilized elementary schools. The article also noted how when it comes to underutilized multi-track year-round schools, Tata wants to pursue the option of letting them switch to a single track.

Let's start with the small elementary schools discussion.

SEE UPDATE AT END OF POST FOR LINKS TO HANDOUTS

Next year's Wake County student reassignment plan is a work in progress with everything approved by the old school board under review with new suggestions coming in all the time.

During Tuesday's work session, Laura Evans, senior director of growth and planning, laid out to the board an explanation of the assignments being considered and the direction they're leaning toward. It will help to have your copy of the handout present.

The ensuing discussion showed how the thinking has changed to reflect the new student assignment policy. Multiple times, Evans talked about bringing students home, having them attend their neighborhood schools and moving the least number possible for stability.

School board members and administrators managed to simultaneously defend their handling of No Child Left Behind choice requirements while also acknowledging they can do some things better.

Recent stories have questioned how Wake isn't providing the advance notification required under No Child and is forcing parents to return to their old failing schools and reapply to get back out.

During Tuesday's school board meeting, Asst. Supt. Chuck Dulaney said Wake is following all federal guidelines for No Child Left Behind.

UPDATE: CORRECTED WORDING IN BOLD IN POST

Get ready for some overcrowding in parts of the county now that assignments to Forest Ridge High, Rolesville Middle and Walnut Creek Elementary have been put on hold.

As noted in today's article, the school board voted Tuesday to delay the assignments to those three schools by two years because the recession has delayed when they'll open. There will be consequences.

Not assigning students to Forest Ridge High until 2012 means that Wake Forest-Rolesville and Wakefield high schools will need to keep their off campus ninth-grade centers until at least then.

Enloe High School isn’t the only one whose bell schedule got tweaked today.

While Enloe's schedule was changed again to add 10 more minutes each day for the upcoming school year, six other schools needed changes as well.

Chief Academic Officer Donna Hargens said the districtwide bell schedule list the school board approved on March 31 had some errors and left out at least one school.