A trip down memory lane…

First, supporters of the diversity policy claimed that research was not necessary to know whether forced busing produced superior student outcomes (see below).

Now, the pro-busing forces are rolling out as many researchers as they could find to defend busing. Interestingly, none of these researchers actually studied the academic and behavioral effects of forced busing on individual students in Wake County.

“Schools: Trust us, diversity works,” The News & Observer, 4 February 2008

Wake hasn’t tracked the performance of low-income students who are assigned for diversity since 2004. The report said the raw data appeared to suggest, overall, that reassigned students experienced reasonable growth in academic achievement.

But because of the small number of students studied — only 52 — the authors said the test results were inconclusive.

David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, said there has been no need for a follow-up because the 2004 report didn’t indicate that the low-income students were being harmed by reassignment.

“Diversity study shot down,” The News & Observer, 12 December 2008

The Wake County school board has quashed a proposal to study whether its highly touted diversity policy is helping students academically.

School board members Ron Margiotta and Horace Tart asked this week whether administrators could track the performance of students who are assigned for diversity reasons. But other board members questioned the validity of the study as they insisted that the diversity policy is working.

“I’ve been at these [high poverty] schools,” said school board member Lori Millberg, whose children have attended schools in eastern Wake. “The stress on the teachers, the stress on the schools. I don’t need any further study to see if our diversity policy is working.”

[snip]

David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research, said you can’t statistically show how students would have done if they weren’t reassigned. But he said you can compare reassigned students with similar students at the old school.

But Millberg, chairwoman of the committee, said there are so many variables trying to compare the students that it wouldn’t be statistically valid.