Survey Says Citizens Want Information, More Ways to Pay

Wake citizens want more ways to pay for schools and more accessible information about how the money is funded and spent, according to results of an online survey conducted in November by Wake Education Partnership and released last week. From Nov. 8-22, 2006, more than 1,220 people completed the voluntary survey online at WakeEdPartnership.org. Although this was not a scientific poll, participants in the survey tracked closely with the actual bond vote—53.2 percent said they voted yes, while 42.1 percent said they voted no on the bond on Nov. 7.

Results of the survey, which involved two required multiple choice questions and two open-ended response questions, included the following three themes:
• The citizens of Wake County want continuous information in order to trust this process.
• The bond cannot be the only way we fund school construction and renovations.
• Citizens need to believe that school leaders and elected officials are really listening to them and are working together to present the best possible plans for dealing with growth.

Download the executive summary and full report about the survey responses from our website.

Education Exchange Series Offers Information

Based on the results of our post-bond survey (see article above), Wake Ed Partnership announces a three-part strategic initiative called the Education Exchange series. For more information, visit the Ed Exchange online.

• Visit our new online resource center, an easy one-stop location for citizens with links to other sites for data, reports and further information about topics ranging from school construction and finance to student achievement and graduation requirements. Regular updates to the site will continue to expand access for those seeking more information.
• Continue this conversation through our website: Send us e-mails with questions and comments, additional resources to include on the site, and other ideas for future discussion.
• Attend the series of four town-hall meetings: The first meeting will be held at the Knightdale Town Hall on Thursday, March 22, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The public is invited to come hear a report from the Citizen Facilities Advisory Committee about how school sites are selected. We’ll also have time for questions, ideas and comments. Additional meetings will follow in April, May and June.

Audit Says Costs for Wake Schools In Line with Other Districts

Wake County's school construction costs are in line with other school systems but can still be reduced, according to an independent audit released last week. The report prepared for the Wake County Citizens' Facilities Advisory Committee showed Wake's average costs to be comparable to seven other districts both inside and outside North Carolina. The study found that Wake's elementary schools costs were 1 percent higher than the average cost of other elementary schools; high schools were 8 percent higher than the other districts, while the cost of middle schools was 21 percent lower. The report also said Wake's costs were below or near the average of other districts in the amount of space set aside for many programs.

The study, which is being paid for by the county commissioners, compared Wake with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools; Clark County, Nev., public schools; Fairfax County, Va., public schools; Guilford County Schools; Gwinnett County, Ga., public schools; Orange County, Fla., public schools; and Winston-Salem/ Forsyth County Schools. The Johnston County school system was invited to take part, but it declined. For the complete story, visit The News & Observer online. The report is available online at WakeGov.com.

School Board, Commissioners Continue to Wrestle with Funding for Facilities

In a special called meeting on Feb. 1, the Board of Education considered a proposal made by the county commissioners for a 2007 school construction bond. Board members heard from staff that a fall 2007 referendum would supply additional new schools for the 2010-11 school year. Board members asked WCPSS staff to come back with the answers to the questions “How much would it cost and when might we return to a voluntary year-round model?” A report back to the board is expected in the next several weeks. For more on this story, visit The News & Observer online.

At the same meeting, Board members asked Chair Patti Head to deliver a letter to the Wake County Board of Commissioners repeating the school board's request for immediate funding of its appropriation request from the joint 2006 capital improvement plan. The letter describes the impact of delayed funding. Board members also approved a resolution asking N.C. lawmakers to lift the cap on charter schools. In the 1996 legislation providing for charter schools, N.C. lawmakers capped the number of charter schools at 100 for the state. Wake County has 14 charter schools, more than any other county in the state.

On Feb. 5, in a 4-3 vote along party lines, the Wake County Board of Commissioners approved more money for renovations and mobile classrooms, but specifically withheld $4.7 million requested by the school district to convert some schools to year-round calendars. By the same margin, they also decided to freeze leftover bond money recently found in the school budget. For more on this story, visit The News & Observer online.

N.C. Dropout Rate Increases

More than 22,000 students quit high school in North Carolina last year, the largest number of dropouts in the state since the 1999-2000 school year according to figures released last week by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction. Dropouts last year numbered slightly more than 5 percent of all high schoolers in the state. Almost one-third (32.7 percent) of all dropout events continue to occur during the ninth grade year, with 25.7 percent of students dropping out in 10th grade and 22.4 percent of students dropping out in 11th grade. Dropout rates increase in frequency as students reach 16 years of age, with 79 percent of dropout events occurring between the ages of 16 and 18. While attendance problems are the reason most often cited for dropping out, for the second year in a row, schools reported that more students said they were dropping out to continue their education at community college. For the full report, visit NCDPI online.

In January, Wake Ed Partnership released our annual Quality Matters report -- in that report the Quality Matters Committee expressed specific concern about graduation rates in Wake County. Although Wake County has received national recognition for having a high graduation rate overall, disturbing discrepancies continue to exist by race. Disaggregated data show that Wake’s schools are not as successful at graduating black and Hispanic students as they are at graduating white and Asian students. For more information, please review Quality Matters 2006 online.

Upcoming Workshops Open to Teachers and Community

• The N.C. Society for Hispanic Professionals is offering Hispanic Achievement Workshops: TOUCH MATH TRAINING on Friday, Feb. 23, from 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at NCSU’s McKimmon Center. Cost is $80 per person (lunch and materials included). ESL teacher Susan D. Zárate will show participants how to make students successful by simplifying addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division while using the different learning modalities. The workshop is open to elementary classroom teachers, special education teachers, remedial teachers, ESL teachers who teach math, math tutors, parents and teacher assistants. To register, contact Whitney Woodyard at 919.467.8424 or mailbox@thencshp.org.
  
• The Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African American Children will hold a meeting about WCPSS Prevention/Intervention Strategies on Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. – noon at Martin Street Baptist Church (1001 East Martin Street, Raleigh). Marvin Connelly, Jr., Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Services, and Darryl Fisher, Senior Director of Prevention Services with WCPSS, will talk about focused intervention and prevention strategies, personal education plans, accelerated activities, student retention notices, testing/retesting opportunities, and parent/school communication. Contact Calla Wright at 919.231.9057 or cccaac@nc.rr.com.

Study Examines Impact of Small High School in NYC

In 2002, New York City initiated an ambitious campaign to transform its public high schools, which, on average, had been graduating only half their students. The lowest performing high schools were replaced with new, smaller schools intended to prepare students for successful postsecondary study or work. A new WestEd study, prepared for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, examines 14 of the new, smaller high schools that graduated their first class in June 2006. Data indicate that attendance is high, ninth grade promotion rates are high, and a majority of students are graduating. A significant number of those graduates are applying to and being accepted by postsecondary institutions, over half of whom will be the first in their family to attend college. The report, "Rethinking High School: Inaugural Graduations at New York City's New High Schools," provides a snapshot of the promise and impact of these small high schools in the lives of adolescent learners from some of New York's most underserved communities. To read the full report, visit WestEd online.

Report Addresses International School Test Comparisons

According to a new report from the Center for Public Education, much of what the public hears about the performance of U.S. kids against their international peers comes from one of two camps: those who claim our kids are failing and the nation’s economic sky is falling as a result; or those who dismiss the scores as irrelevant because American schools are different and truly the best of all possible worlds. The reality is more complex: U.S. kids aren't number one on any international test, but they're not failing either. This guide attempts to show a more complete picture of international assessments and what we can learn from them. It provides an overview of the international tests administered to students and adults across the globe, and addresses how these tests are developed, who takes them, and how we should interpret the results. The report also summarizes the results of the major assessments in reading, mathematics and science. To read the full report, visit the CPE online.

MAKE AN INVESTMENT

Your donations make the Partnership's work possible. Please help us continue to support excellence in public education in Wake County by making an investment in the Annual Fund for Education today. When we invest in our schools, we build a better, stronger, more prosperous community for us all. And together, we all win.

UPCOMING WAKE ED PARTNERSHIP EVENTS

March 7: Pieces of Gold annual performing arts extravaganze at 7 p.m. at the Progress Energy Center's Memorial Auditorium. Tickets are on sale now!

March 8: Wake Regional Education Roundtable. Topic: N.C. Teacher Working Conditions Survey; hosted by Wake Ed and the Holly Springs and Apex Chambers of Commerce. Registration will be available in early March -- more information coming soon.

March 22: Education Exchange meeting at the Knightdale Town Hall from 7-8:30 p.m. Topic will be the work of the Citizens Facility Advisory Committee with a focus on site selection for schools

March 28: Deadline for Food for Thought grant applications. Applications for Wake Education Partnership’s Food for Thought grants are being accepted online now through March 28.