In 2002, with 80 hosts and 600 participants, participants heard from a variety of speakers. The topics included a review of the management audit being conducted of the Wake County Public Schools and an important update on progress toward the 2003 goal. These topics helped define key issues related to school success. These issues were discussed and prioritized in facilitated small group discussions.

The top 10 issues identified were:

1. Funding – Allocate new funding to accommodate growth in student enrollment and strengthen student achievement.

2. Achievement Gap – Improve the performance of all children, especially those who have traditionally performed below grade level.

3. Student Assignment – Seek consensus and broader ownership for issues tied to student reassignment and maintain diversity in the public schools.

4. Teacher Support and Development – Create a plan with identified support systems to retain top performers and ensure the professional progression of teachers from “novice to master.”

5. Parental Development – Enhance the effectiveness of parental involvement programs at the school and school system level by aligning existing programs (ParentScope, Helping Hands, Title I, PTA, etc.) to create a unified strategy and identify gaps.

6. Size – Develop a plan to model smaller schools/classes to extend more choices to families and teachers and to enhance student achievement.

7. Growth – Create a plan to address pressing needs for new schools and classrooms.

8. Communication – Establish a communication plan that connects and shares with strategic partners and parents the goals, plans, expectations, and successes of the public schools.

9. Planning – Create a clear plan to develop budgets and to project funding needs between the county and the public schools to more effectively communicate the costs associated with maintaining quality in the public schools.

10. Funding Flexibility – Seek greater flexibility in the use of state dollars to ensure the maximum benefit of resources to creatively and efficiently address needs in schools.