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Currently, there are around 13,800 school districts in the U.S. and, according to the Century Foundation, approximately 70 of them use socioeconomic status as a factor in their assignment. If Secretary of Education Arne Duncan criticizes Wake County for assigning students the same way that 99.995 percent of the nation’s school districts do, then he has a much bigger problem than Wake.


Bulletin Board

  • The North Carolina History Project would like educators and homeschool parents to submit lesson plans suitable for middle and high school courses in North Carolina history. Please provide links to NC History Project encyclopedia articles and other primary and secondary source material, if possible. Go to http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/edu_corner for further information.
  • Become a member of JLF’s Freedom Clubs! We have seven regional clubs covering every part of North Carolina, so there is one near you and your like-minded conservative friends. For more information, visit https://www.johnlocke.org/support.

 

CommenTerry

Much has been made of the Obama administration’s contention that Wake County’s shift to neighborhood schools will roll back the civil rights achievements of the last century. Last week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan submitted a letter to the Washington Post in response to their front-page article, "Republican school board in N.C. backed by tea party abolishes integration policy." Duncan wrote,

 

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.

Those core values, embodied in our founding documents, subsequent amendments and court rulings, include equity and diversity in education and opportunity. …

 

Let’s clear up a few things. Wake County did not have a "long-standing policy to promote racial diversity." The school system had a policy implemented a decade ago to promote "socioeconomic" diversity as measured by the number of students participating in the free and reduced price lunch program. In Parents Involved v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that using race as a factor in student assignment was unconstitutional. Perhaps Mr. Duncan should consult with attorneys from his Office for Civil Rights for further information on the issue.

While I welcome Mr. Duncan’s invitation to participate in a "conversation among educators, parents and students across America about our core values," the debate over what constitutes core American values is far from settled. For example, what happens when efforts to achieve what Mr. Duncan calls "equity and diversity in education and opportunity" come at the expense of learning? Are proponents of busing really willing to accept low graduation rates and other troubling academic outcomes in exchange for ensuring that low-income kids have access to surrogate middle-class parents and designer friends? If so, they should man up and admit it.

After all, proponents of busing seem to be at ease with the fact that, last year, black males in Wake County achieved a 56.3 percent graduation rate. Hispanic males posted a 50.3 percent graduation rate. Wake’s graduation rate for economically disadvantaged students was 59.7 percent (see "Facts and Stats" below.) These percentages are unacceptable … unless you believe that widespread academic failure among racial and ethnic minority students is one of our nation’s core values.

 

Facts and Stats


 

Source: NC Department of Public Instruction, Graduation Results Website.

 

Mailbag

I would like to invite all readers to submit announcements, as well as their personal insights, anecdotes, concerns, and observations about the state of education in North Carolina. I will publish selected submissions in future editions of the newsletter. Anonymity will be honored. For additional information or to send a submission, email Terry at [email protected].

 

Education Acronym of the Week

WCPSS — Wake County Public School System

 

Quote of the Week

"We believe there are advantages that diversity among students brings to the educational process that benefit all students regardless of race, income, family, or other characteristics. In particular, our commitment to diversity requires that we also be committed to maintaining healthy schools for all students. All schools should be equally attractive for students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the community — a source of pride in every neighborhood."

— William R. McNeal and Thomas B. Oxholm, A School District’s Journey to Excellence: Lessons From Business and Education, 2008.

 

Click here for the Education Update archive.