U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, weighs in,
America’s strength has always been a function of its diversity, so it is troubling to see North Carolina’s Wake County School Board taking steps to reverse a long-standing policy to promote racial diversity in its schools [“In N.C., a new battle on school integration,” front page, Jan. 12]. The board’s action has led to a complaint that has prompted an investigation by our Office for Civil Rights, but it should also prompt a conversation among educators, parents and students across America about our core values. …
Wake County did not have a “long-standing policy to promote racial diversity.” It was a policy implemented for 10 years aimed at promoting “socioeconomic” diversity. Race-based busing is a no-no according to the U.S. Supreme Court.
And for all of that “diversity,” Wake County achieved a 56.3 percent graduation rate for black males and a 50.3 percent graduation rate for Hispanic males. Arne claims to care about student achievement, but, in this case, Arne really took his eye off the ball.
