Wake's school board election results have gotten some national attention.
In an article in today's USA Today, it's noted how more school districts are using socioeconomic diversity with Wake as the national model. But the backlash in Wake was also noted as well.
"They take these poor kids who are struggling and do their very best to spread them around and create the appearance of healthy schools," said Joe Ciulla of the Wake Schools Community Alliance, in the article.
Ciulla's photo is also in the article.
But the fears about the victories by neighborhood school supporters are also mentioned.
Paulette Jones Leaven, the in-school suspension coordinator at Carroll Middle School, says resegregation will occur if the socioeconomic diversity policy is ended.
She also brings up the school district study that said that 96 percent of students go to school less than 10 miles from home as the crow flies. The study was frequently cited by the unsuccessful candidates who backed the diversity policy.
Comments
It's disturbing that an
Tue, 11/03/2009 - 20:18 — BromhalIt's disturbing that an employee of the school system - and one who likely works with a higher concentration of low-income students given her position would say this:
We would return to segregated schools," says the in-school suspension coordinator at Carroll Middle School.
It displays not only a political bent, but a poor use of words and facts on her part - yet we as citizens and taxpayers are paying her for this ignorance.
The ONLY way schools would be resegregated would be illegally and unconstitutionally - if white and black children were REQUIRED to attend separate schools.
NAACP threatens Wake school
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 17:25 — AngelaWNAACP threatens Wake school lawsuit http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7096103 -- The NAACP says it will sue the Wake County School Board if it ends its controversial busing policy. The threat comes just hours before voters decide a final school board seat that could set that change in motion. The battleground is in District 2 - covering southeast Raleigh, Garner, and southeastern Wake County.
"...we are prepared to fight that every child has a constitutional education that's what's at stake," offered NC NAACP President William Barber.
(I'd like to hear their "defense" of the current magnet "lottery process" )
Journalism?
Mon, 11/02/2009 - 14:41 — woodstockSo, no one in a position to actually facilitate change or that would be held responsible for new policy decisions were quoted in the USA article? That is interesting.
Additionally, I wonder how Paulette Jones knows what would occur should the busing for socioeconomic diversity policy be discontinued? Is she privy to a plan the rest of us are unaware of? She makes the uninformed and insulting claim that it will result in a return to “segregation.” However, according to said Jacob Vigdor, a Duke economics professor who studies residential segregation and education policy, “even under a strict system of neighborhood schools, Wake would remain more integrated than many school systems across the country.” I wonder whom I should believe?
It is very discouraging what passes for journalism these day. (I am referring to the USA article, not you, Keung.)