June 18 , 2009

Partnership urges world-class school standards

Global competition and a growing demand that all graduates meet higher standards will require Wake County redesign its public schools to meet world-class education standards.

That conclusion is one of several key findings included in a report released last week by Wake Education Partnership following a year of study with six other education groups and more than three dozen community leaders. The project included local business leaders, school board members, school system administrators and educators.

The report, titled “Suspending Disbelief,” was formally presented June 5th during a news briefing on the SAS campus in Cary. It was also the focal point of conversation for more than an hour Wednesday during a joint meeting of the school board and county commissioners.

The study offers a framework for change in the schools, describing what a world-class system would look like in areas such as basic student competencies, curriculum standards, assessment, testing and the way time is used in the classroom.

Recommendations include the need to focus on fewer topics in greater depth; second language instruction for each student every year; less reliance on multiple-choice tests; better use of classroom time; establishing international benchmarks for student success; a far greater awareness of world views; and flexible academic pathways that challenge all students whether they are enrolling in a four-year university or graduating directly into the workforce.

The report will be presented to community groups throughout the year as a way to generate discussion about what it means to guarantee every graduate is ready to compete in a global economy. The Partnership encourages interested groups to request presentations.  The full report can be found here.

School board names new chair

The Wake school board will work its way through several key changes in the coming months, the first of which was decided Tuesday when board members chose Kevin Hill to replace Rosa Gill as the new board chairman.

Hill, who served as vice-chair of the board last year, retired from the Wake County Public School System in 2005 after 28 years as a teacher and administrator. He currently works in an undergraduate education program at N.C. State University. Horace Tart, who joined the school board four years ago, was named vice-chairman.

Gill resigned from her seat this week after she was selected by the Wake Democratic Committee to fill Rep. Dan Blue’s seat. Blue was chosen earlier this year to serve the remainder of the late Sen. Vernon Malone's term in the state Senate.

The board will see more changes this fall following local elections. Four seats on the nine-member board are up for election.

At least nine people have expressed interest in the seats, although the formal filing period does not open this year until July 6

Most students attend nearby schools

A new study released by the Wake County school system confirms preliminary estimates that show an overwhelming percentage of students live within five miles of the schools to which they are assigned and 99 percent of students live within 10 miles.

The percentages, based upon assignments in 2006-2007, exclude students who choose to travel for magnet school programs. It also uses a straight-line measurement without regard for the actual distance buses travel. The straight-line approach is criticized by those who feel it inaccurately represents the amount of time students spend on buses.

 The study acknowledges that the approach represents the “lower bound” of distances traveled, but it also confirms a larger point that most students live close to the schools they are assigned.

The school system would like to limit bus rides for every student to no more than 45 minutes each way. That isn’t happening now, although limited studies based on busing routes show most student rides meet the 45-minute goal. The majority of those with longer rides attend magnet programs. The distance report can be found here.

Dudley Flood wins prestigious state award

Dudley Flood, a long-time educator and a member of the Board of Trustees of Wake Education Partnership, was named last week as the ninth recipient of the Jay Robinson Leadership Award given by the Public School Forum of NC.

The award honors the leadership and service of Jay Robinson, former school superintendent, vice president of the UNC system, chairman of the State Board of Education and first president of the Public School Forum.

Flood served as a public school educator in North Carolina beginning in the 1950s. He held positions as a teacher and principal before going to the state Department of Public Instruction as director of the Division of Human Relations and later as an associate superintendent. While at DPI, he helped desegregate North Carolina’s schools by leading a program that was considered one of the most successful in the nation.

Flood is currently a consultant, speaker and member of the UNC system Board of Governors.

Noteworthy…

… Wake County schools Superintendent Del Burns intends to offer regular video  updates using a new feature on the school system’s web site. In the first installment of the “Superintendent’s Journal,” Burns offers details on what the recession and state budget crisis means for the schools. Click here to view his first Journal entry.
 
… Local budgets for the county – and by extension the school system – are complete for now. But neither group will really know how much money the schools will have in 2009-2010 until lawmakers approve a state budget. About 62 percent of the school system’s money comes from the state, so deep state cuts will be felt in the classroom. Legislators are currently debating a mix of tax increases and significant cuts to cover a revenue shortfall of almost $4.5 billion dollars, or roughly 20 percent of last year’s budget.

Wake Education Partnership is a 501(c)(3) non-profit created in 1983 to support public schools, in part by educating the community on current school issues. Most of its financial support comes from local business. Send comments to Tim Simmons, VP Communications, at  tsimmons@wakeedpartnership.org