The Wake Education Partnership and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce are bringing to Raleigh an education consultant who has specialized in drawing up student assignment plans using controlled choice to achieve diversity.
In a media advisory today, the WEP and the Chamber said that Michael Alves will visit with local business leaders and elected officials later this month. John Tedesco, chairman of the school board's student assignment committee, has offered Alves the opportunity to speak at the July 27 committee meeting.
Alves was mentioned in the WEP's April Topic Review on how Wake could still achieve some level of balance in its new community-based student assignment model.
"Controlled choice plans that focus on socio-economic balance have been used for years," according to the April Topic Review. "Manchester, Conn., has used the model since 1995, according to Michael Alves, who has helped more than 40 school districts design choice-based plans during the past 25 years. The public schools of Champaign, Ill., adopted a choice plan designed to increase socio-economic balance just last year."
Here's the media advisory:
Student assignment consultant to visit Wake County, speak with student assignment committee
Wake Education Partnership and the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce have invited Michael Alves, an education consultant with more than 25 years of experience in the field of student assignments, to visit with local business leaders and elected officials.
As part of that visit, school board member and Student Assignment Committee Chairman John Tedesco has offered Alves the opportunity to speak with members of the Student Assignment Committee on July 27.
The committee is scheduled to meet from 11:30 am to 2 pm at the district offices, 3600 Wake Forest Road. Alves will be available to speak with the media immediately following the meeting.
The founder and general manager of an online data management system, Alves helps create school assignment plans driven by choice and high student achievement for all students. He has worked in the field since 1981.
Alves will not suggest specific assignment proposals. He was invited by the Chamber and the Partnership to listen to community leaders and provide his insights based upon his experience and knowledge.
Comments
FYI - Below is the
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 10:32 — reasonablevoiceFYI - Below is the beginning of Charlotte's evolution out of their current choice model for assignment, where many people chose neighborhood schools, creating severe overcrowding in the depths of their suburbia (like our high growth areas such as WF and West/Southwest) and underutilized schools in the inner city, and high F&R - 80, 90% in their "middle ring" (compares to our "rim") . Comparisons come from my neighbor, a Charlotte native and parent who experienced the challenges of an under capacity middle ring, 80% F&R school in her 300K established neighborhood, which before Charlotte changed over was 40% and at capacity. The blog cyberpolice kicked out the link to the article on line at Charlotte Observer, that is where below came from.
The rankings
Posted: Friday, Jul. 09, 2010
With all nine members of the school board voting, here’s how broad goals for student assignment ranked, from highest to lowest.
1. Student achievement
All decisions will be judged on whether they advance academic performance.
2-3. Equity
Decisions should provide “equity of educational opportunity.”
2-3. Magnets
Magnets are “part of our comprehensive student assignment plan,” but further research is needed to make decisions about specific programs.
4-5. Predictability
Families should know what to expect.
4-5. Effective building use
Officials will look at use, costs, building age and condition. “Community participation may influence.”
6. Stability
Decisions will promote stability in student assignment and school administration, faculty and programs.
7. Proximity
“Student assignment that connects a school that offers desired programs to family residence or workplace intended to foster parental involvement.”
8. Diversity
“Respect for people of all cultures, inclusion of people of all cultures, not exclusion.”
9. Neighborhood schools
“Schools located in the community from which their students are assigned.”
10. Shared sacrifice and benefit
Officials will consider the cost of students who aren’t achieving and “unintended consequences of not doing.”
11. Transportation cost
Decisions will reduce busing cost.
12. Sibling guarantee
Younger siblings of students admitted to magnets will have guaranteed admission unless there are requirements they don’t meet.
13. Capping enrollment
Setting limits for the size of neighborhood schools and reassigning students if schools exceed the cap.
This is what I wish our old
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 13:23 — jenmanThis is what I wish our old BOEs had done--place priorities on assignment factors. Dulaney at 2 different times said that they 'couldn't' or 'wouldn't' do it. I think they just didn't want to make the tough decisions, but the lack of priorities really screwed us up. There was no way to judge whether or not the assignment plans were achieving what the BOE wanted and they just left it up to Dulaney to decide.
Frankly, I don't know what CMS didn't have this list of priorities earlier either. It's just a no-brainer to me. I remember sitting through a marathon work session/COW meeting where 2 hours were devoted to determining where the system was on that equity/community/prosperity/whatever model they use and where the members wanted it to go. Burns kept telling the board that Dulaney needed direction for the next student assignment plan (the 3 year plan). They were looking to the board for guidance. After 2 hours of working with a 'facilitator', they ended up deciding that currently the system was in the 'prosperity' section and they wanted to move towards 'community'. What in the hell does that mean?!? I bet every single board member would have had a different answer for what community meant to them and how they thought Dulaney should achieve it. But they left it at that. The worst part was that the facilitator and Burns both said, "Well you've given Mr. Dulaney some great direction". I cannot begin to tell you how hard it was for me not to jump out of my seat and take over during those 2 hours. I don't know how much that facilitator got paid for those 2 hours but it was way too much. I would have done it for free and done a better job! :-)
May be a no brainer but
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 16:08 — Dove314As you allude to with Charlotte, it may be a no brainer but has any such list been articulated by the current WCPSS BoE for their current redefinition of the assignment plan? I know there were several things articulated in the policy but were they put in a priority order? And was student achievement at the top of the list?
Eh...
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 18:10 — Bob_SconceYou are presuming that student achievement is significantly affected by student assignment. Without that presumption, "student achievement" belongs on the top of that list to the same extent that it would belong on the top of the list of "what day of the week should mystery meat be served in the cafeterias?"
(I recognize that student achievement should be at the top of every list put forth by WCPSS, but for some things -- mystery meat -- it's really not relevant and, thus, not really worth mentioning.)
Actually the opposite
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 23:21 — Dove314Assignment should not get in the way of student achievement. I think the massive focus on student assignment seen over the last several months is a ridiculous waste of time and effort plus delays any real focus on student achievement. But then I've posted it often enough along with you posting your viewpoint that by now, that's not a surprise. The key criteria for me is that student achievement should be the primary remit of WCPSS and everything else evaluated relative to how it impacts student achievement. That isn't happening. That's my bottom line.
Well...
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 08:25 — Bob_SconceRecognize that if you're just paying attention to the press, you get a distorted view of what's actually happening. For one, you'd think the only significant thing to happen recently was the commissioners approving H6. Meanwhile, the ED task force that happened 2 weeks ago is completely unreported. That's just the way the press is -- unless a momentus event happened, it isn't reported.
Incidentally, I agree with your bottom line, but note that the district still has to deal with all those things which have little to no effect on student achievement.
Communication
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:12 — Solon77Is the content of the ED task force meeting posted anywhere ? As well as other meetings for that matter. One of the complaints of the old board was lack of communication in keeping the public informed. Fairfax County on the other hand seems to do a good job. As an example - Fairfax county budget process included 15 meeting dates and 82 presentations throughout the community. In addition - Fairfax is undergoing a number of planning studies to address overcrowding - wealth of information and one can sign up for automatic updates via Keep in Touch.
ED Student Achievement Task Force
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 13:05 — Dove314First meeting was recorded and should be in the WRAL archives. The second was not. Lferreri here attended and has made posts here about some of the content but no minutes have been published. There have only been two meetings to date. I'm not sure if the 3rd meeting is planned for the end of July or not.
Next meeting
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:11 — lferreriIf I remember correctly, the next meeting is scheduled for July 22. I think they said that meetings will always be the fourth Thursday of the month.
Edited to add: My bad. The next meeting is scheduled for Smith Elementary on the last Thursday of the month July 29, 2010 4:00 pm.
Thanks
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 11:29 — Dove314Thank you ma'am. I know the location floats each month so it's good to know where. Will the proceedings be televised on WRAL or was thta just the first meeting?
Doubtful...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 12:17 — Bob_SconceI don't know where the first meeting was held, but WRAL evidently has special equipment in the Board room for streaming meetings. I'd be surprised if they're willing to spend the money to do this meeting. Sounds like we need somebody there with ustream.
Barwell Road
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 12:30 — lferreriIt was at Barwell Road school. I guess WRAL brought the video equipment there. That's why I had thought they would broadcast the second meeting too. The thing about a video is that you get so much more out of the meeting. Looking at the slides of the presentation, for example, doesn't capture everything that was said.
Yeah...
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 13:38 — Bob_SconceI have mixed feelings. I think that the minutes should accurately reflect the discussion. I've found the minutes from the main Board Meetings to be quite good. I'm also concerned about the effect that video would have on the discussion -- I suspect people might be more reticent to take risks in what they say if they knew it was going to be videotaped for posterity.
But, on the other hand, it would be really good to know what happened.
I wish I knew
Mon, 07/12/2010 - 12:00 — lferreriI have no idea. Sorry. I wish they would broadcast.
Hmm..
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:45 — Bob_SconcePart of that $2700 difference.
$2,700 difference
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 11:01 — Solon77The $2,700 difference is all at the teaching level. Fairfax seems to do a very good job with Central Services - something we could learn from.
it's not up to the
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:24 — AngelaWit's not up to the BoE......
it's WCPSS....and WE pay their salaries!
Contact
Michael Evans, Chief Communications Officer
Greg Thomas, Director
Phone: 919-850-1700
3600 Wake Forest Road
P.O. Box 28041
Raleigh, NC 27611-8041
This school system strives to meet the needs of our more than 134,000 students by providing highly qualified teachers and programs so that each one will graduate on-time prepared for the future. Currently, the Wake County Public School System is the largest school system in North Carolina and employs the second largest number of National Board certified teachers in the nation.
The Communications Department helps to keep the public informed of WCPSS issues, policies and accomplishments by serving as the central point of contact for the news media. We serve as a liaison between the system and the news media, encouraging coverage of systemwide news and school activities and assisting reporters with their requests for information and interviews.
The Communications Department provides communications services for the Wake County Public School System through
•news releases
•newspaper publications
•video and audiocasts
•e-newsletters
•a monthly television program
•our website
•and other outreach materials
Somewhat Disagree
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:51 — Solon77The ED and other committees are board led and sponsored committees. As such the board should clearly define the guidelines under which the committee operates. One element of the guidelines would be the communication plan. If the communication plan called for say the following, then it would be up to the communications department to ensure the communication infrastructure was put in place.
Communications Plan
Clear and timely communication is critical to all stakeholders involved in the
Community engagement process. A communications plan is an essential part of this
process and will include:
• A web page containing the most updated information on the issues and will
include dates of upcoming meetings, presentations to School Board, actions
taken by the School Board, and updates as they occur.
• The web page will include a form for visitors to sign up to receive email updates
on the issue, including alerts when the web page has been updated. Promotion
of this special email update opportunity will be sent out through a regular Keep in
Touch message to school board news and current issues subscribers.
• KIT updates shall be sent to all school communities involved in the study when
new information is posted, meetings scheduled, etc.
• The web page will also include a form for visitors to pose a question. Questions
posed by web visitors and collected via e-mail will be answered in a Frequently
Asked Questions format that will be posted on the web page. People who submit
and how do you know they
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:58 — AngelaWand how do you know they haven't and it's just not being posted in a timely manner by WCPSS? have you ever noticed how long it takes some things to be posted on the WCPSS web site?
I don't however
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 11:08 — Solon77I don't however it is up to the leader of the committee to make sure it is. Other districts have as part of their annual performance review cycle include a metric of how well the board and administration work together. It is a way for each to set out their expectations and it works both ways.
not disagreeing, however;
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 11:19 — AngelaWnot disagreeing, however; past BoE was led by administration, this BoE is being stymied by administration, don't know when/if we'll see "progress" in any areas, personally.
I trust the current
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 11:54 — woodstockI trust the current administration problem will be dealt with ...soon. Getting the right Superintendent will help move things along. Hopefully this will include addressing the "leadership" (or lack thereof) in what passes for PR in WCPSS's central office..
Leadership starts at the top
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 13:50 — Solon77The excerpt of the communication plan I noted above was put out by the chairman of the Fairfax County BOE as part of the committee charter. It really has nothing to do with the administration other than to assist with the infrastructure. I believe we all pretty much agree that the BOE establishes policy and it is the responsibility of the administration to carry it out. To my knowledge the BOE has not established a charter with protocol and deliverables for it committees.
With regards to the BOE being led by the past administration - if I used the defense of "that's how it was done before" I would be out of a job. We are moving forward, the only reason to revisit the past is to learn from mistakes and not to repeat them.
here's hoping!!!
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 12:01 — AngelaWhere's hoping!!! loooooooong overdue!
"Assignment should not get
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 07:12 — woodstock"Assignment should not get in the way of student achievement. I think the massive focus on student assignment seen over the last several months is a ridiculous waste of time and effort plus delays any real focus on student achievement."
Oh my, you didn't just say that. You HAVE to be joking. Seriously, did you just move here or just recently start paying attention? For literally YEARS the focus has been on the status quo's and madman Dulaney's relentless insistence that achievement could be increased through student assignment ...although the reality was, it steadily decreased. Now, FINALLY, we have people intelligent enough to know that we need to put that issue behind us by stopping the ridiculous social engineering and focus on giving students the resources they need to succeed.
Moving deck chairs
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 09:09 — Dove314I've said it before, you've read it before. Nothing new in my post so the attempts to play my post as anything surprising are disingenuous on your part. This board AS WELL AS PAST BOARDS are and have been too focused on assignment. Was true well into the past when Remey Beavers (Dulaney's predecessor of many years) was in charge of assignment and the trend continues today. Doesn't seem to matter who is in power or dictating assignments, student achievement is just never the primary focus.
Can't you see that the new
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:00 — woodstockCan't you see that the new board is trying to get past the assignment issue and move on, but the small, angry, and politically motivated opposition continues to insist on keeping the issue alive by disingenuously making it a race issue. Until we get past the forced busing for some bizarre Wake County version of "diversity, we will never get the focus where it needs to be. Why is that so difficult to understand?
Current Board
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 13:18 — Dove314The current board has done exactly what they wanted when they wanted. No one has slowed them from their agenda. With very few exceptions, they ignore most negative feedback. They have chosen their priorities and they and their supporters should own that student achievement was and is currently NOT the top priority for this crew any more than it has ever been in the past. For some, the focus on other priorities is fine. It's not for me. Differences of opinion abound.
Are you OK ?
Sun, 07/11/2010 - 10:34 — Solon77Your posts over the last couple of days have not been with usual flair.
If I recall correctly, they
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 17:22 — magnetParentIf I recall correctly, they went around the table and had each member say what was important factors to consider when implementing the assignment policy. One person did, a couple of times, mention diversity. But I don't think these items were written down and prioritized. At least it did not seem that way from the video.
We have to accept that there
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 12:20 — allkidsfirstWe have to accept that there will be controls on parental choice no matter what model is in place, and especially in a strict neighborhood model. Your choice of home is limited by what you can afford. With neighborhood schools, income level will determine the amount of choice you have. Parents who have chosen lower paying service careers, or those who choose to stay at home, will not be able to make the best choices for their kids. In a public school model, that method of choice control is unacceptable.
Controlled choice balanced with strong incentives for diversity is the best answer for Wake County. We have long needed to return to the original goal of the magnet program, to encourage diversity with more incentive and less force. The model did not keep up with growth, and began creating resentment instead of unity. It could be improved, strengthened and adapted with a controlled choice plan if only we had the will to make important ideological compromises on behalf of our children.
A solid controlled choice model will evaluate the programs with the highest demand, and strive to meet it in a way that also encourages diversity and equal opportunity for all. Good programs will be replicated, programs that are ineffective or unpopular will be improved or replaced. It could be done in Wake County! Parents would have even more opportunity to be happy with their child's school. And even in the smaller areas, a VERY high percentage of families get their top choice assignments.
Best of all, it would provide assignment stability in a rapid growth area. Once you are in a school path, you stay there. No getting shoved over to another school because of new development. It's a real winner. We need to take this option seriously, even if it has the "D" word... and even if it brings changes to existing programs.
Stability
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 09:59 — Solon77Best of all, it would provide assignment stability in a rapid growth area. Once you are in a school path, you stay there. No getting shoved over to another school because of new development.
Please some help to understand how this would provide assignment stability in a rapid growth area.
It would provide stability
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 10:40 — Tony_LucasIt would provide stability because once a child is enrolled in a school, they would not be reassigned to another school, unless the move is requested by parents. I'm not sure if this is exactly what allkidsfirst meant, but it was a point in the Controlled Choice assignment policy advocated by my mom during the October elections.
So it is first come first serve
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 12:04 — Solon77So it becomes a first come first serve model. Since growth is not contiguous - there then is the very real possibility that the late arrivals could then pass by multiple schools to get to one that has capacity.
Too bad -
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 09:29 — reasonablevoiceToo bad you are not on Tedesco's student assignment committee, all kids. (are you?) How about you toss this to your district's rep? Considering how many magnet applications get denied each year, one would think there would be geographic analysis to support opening more schools, strategically, so as to offer more of the popular programs, without underutilizing the sending schools.
Did you see
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 12:46 — TrailerParkGirlDid you see the presentation that Tedesco gave to the BOE about his vision?
What allkids describes sounds a lot like what was presented.
I'm not really sure why people are still up in arms/marching/protesting about strict neighborhood schools and re-segregation when the assignment committee chair has already given a presentation that was very close to what allkids describes.
One area of disagreement is use of SES as a factor because F&R is used as a proxy based on stereotypes, which are the foundation of the "at risk" model (i.e. F&R is equated to "at risk"/low performance/achievement/expectations). The "at risk" model has not worked and is in opposition to the "pro equity" and reform models that educational systems (including federal level) are trying to move toward. Therefore, it does not make sense to continue assignment policies based largely on SES, just like achievement expectations should not be based on SES. IMO, if the goal is a "pro-equity" achievement culture, it would be contradictory to base assignment policies on the "at risk" model. For those who saw the last ED Task Force presentation, I see this as not confusing apples with the other fruits.
Please elaborate on what you
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 13:15 — DrActualFactualPlease elaborate on what you define as "important ideological compromises." Thanks in advance.
Well, one side seems dead
Sat, 07/10/2010 - 06:34 — allkidsfirstWell, one side seems dead set that expanding or changing the magnet program is off the table. They think that any building on what we have will undermine the "downtown" magnets. It could have been done without hurting them, but wasn't. Year Round schools tried to force people into empty rim seats... instead of addressing the attraction of the rim schools... or lack thereof. Big mistake. A big mistake due in large part to bonds defeated by Americans for Prosperity and their ilk, but a mistake nonetheless.
The other side is so ideologically opposed to diversity they won't give an inch on in anywhere. They give some cultural diversity lip service, but then repeatedly categorically reject any provision that would prevent us from limiting school choice to the wealthy. They ignore the many, many parents of Wake who gladly sacrifice neighborhood convenience for attending a school that is the right fit for their child.
There is a way to increase choice, and provide more stability while preserving the benefits of diversity. But just because it's "controlled" choice, or it gives ANY consideration to economic diversity, it's not going to happen under the new majority. Unless they compromise, as well as the old ITB raleigh supporters, then we'll never see the best solution for all our kids.
When I hear "controlled
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 06:41 — woodstockWhen I hear "controlled choice." I cringe. It means some Dulaneyesque bureaucrat will decide if parents are granted choice or not ...thus eliminating any semblance of real choice and succumbing to the failed notion that racial or socioeconomic "diversity" has anything at all to do with student achievement. Here is an idea, let's treat every student as an individual with inherent value and capabilities and address any specific challenges they may face in achieving academic success. Assigning attributes/expectations to a child based on their ethnicity or the size of their parent's paycheck is ludicrous and only takes the focus off of the real issues/challenges/problems that exist. Why is this so difficult to grasp? If we do not start acknowledging and addressing the idea that many kids are failing not because of what is happening at school or where they go to school, but rather what is or is not happening outside of school, we will never see progress.
here's another way to look at it Woodstock
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 09:57 — reasonablevoiceRephrased, barely: Why is this so difficult to grasp? If we do not start acknowledging and addressing the idea that many kids are failing not just because of what is happening at school or where they go to school, but also what is or is not happening outside the classroom, we will never see progress.
Ignoring the home, the expectations that come out of the home, potentially reduces a child's chance for success by a third - if the thirds are measured as Parent encouragement and support, Strong educational program, and Motivated student. Each can exist without the other, but all three gives each child their best chance at success. Anything less, and the student must "overcome". It is those students who must overcome "one weak leg of the stool" that the system needs help to be ready for, and have resources available for. But ignoring it exists puts any school system at a disadvantage that the student inevitably pays for.
Just about everybody who posts here acknowledges this, except you. The basic argument we have is how to discern the fairest and more accurate measuring tools for the strength of the parent leg of the 3 legged stool, and then the fair and most equitable way for a school system to keep strong the other two legs to compensate. This indeed takes into account each individual child, but recognizes deficits some children bring to the table, in an effort to negate those deficits. You want to ignore the deficits like they don't exist. They do.
Controlled Choice
Thu, 07/08/2010 - 23:24 — jeffrey1I first read about controlled choice in Kahlenberg's book. I was under the impression that it has only been used in relatively small districts. Does anyone know the largest district in which it has been implemented?
I am just not sure that a controlled choice model can work in a school district with 140,000+ enrollment.
Many Flavors
Fri, 07/09/2010 - 00:09 — Solon77JT rolled out Atila Abdulkadiroglu back in April when he presented the concept of the assignment plan. Atila helped design the algorithim for Boston and New York City. In his research Atila pointed out that the parent choice model deployed by CMS resulted in segregated schools. Surprise, Surprise.
Aside from the size (140,000)of wcpss, need to consider the area. Boston and New York are fairly compact high density areas. Getting from one side of town to another does not take very long. Not the case in wcpss.