Wake FYI and the Wake Regional Education Roundtable series focus each month on the same important education topic. This allows Wake County residents the opportunity to get a deeper and richer understanding of the issues.
You can read about each topic in Wake FYI and then discuss the topics with other community members at the Wake Regional Education Roundtable, sponsored by Wake Education Partnership and the Chambers of Commerce in Wake County. For more information about the Roundtable series, or to view past editions of Wake FYI, please go to our website: www.WakeEdPartnership.org.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: Magnet Schools in WCPSS
In this issue of Wake FYI, information from WCPSS and other external source websites has been collected in an effort to efficiently and effectively inform readers about magnet schools in Wake County Public School System.
Since 1982, Wake County has offered magnet schools with innovative approaches to learning.
The Wake County Public School System currently operates 36 magnet schools across the county. Since November 2006, the Board of Education has been evaluating these magnet offerings.
Because they are a topic of increasing interest in Wake County, this edition of Wake FYI takes a closer look at magnet schools and the review process being used to evaluate them.
Magnet Programs
Magnet schools enhance the North Carolina Standard Course of Study with innovative approaches to learning that maximize student potential. Magnets open doors of opportunity and spark the imagination of students, preparing them to become responsible citizens in a global society.
Since 1982, Wake County magnet schools have fostered greater achievement, crafted hotbeds of creativity and cultural diversity, and produced a rich array of educational choices for all students. The WCPSS network of magnet schools offer parents a choice of instructional programs such as:
● Creative Arts and Sciences
● Gifted and Talented
● International Studies
● Active Learning & Technology
● International Baccalaureate
● Center For Spanish Language/IBPYP
● Community Model
● Leadership
● Montessori
● Museums
● University Connections
● Center For Leadership & Technology
● Year-Round
The Review of WCPSS Magnet Programs
Since November 2006, the Wake County Board of Education has been reviewing the Wake County Public School System's program of offering magnet schools to the community. The review has included exploring the history of magnet schools in Wake County, revising the magnet program's county-wide objectives, and beginning a process of evaluating which magnet schools are currently aligned with those objectives.
Throughout the review process, the Wake County Board of Education has continually affirmed the importance of magnet programs and the role they play in sustaining a healthy school system.
The WCPSS magnet program's objectives are to foster healthy schools throughout the Wake County Public School System by using choice to help:
- reduce high concentrations of poverty and support diverse populations,
- maximize use of school facilities, and
- provide expanded educational opportunities.
Prior to this most comprehensive review, magnet programs were reviewed yearly within the Magnet Department. A more extensive State of the Magnet Program review was presented to the Board of Education every 2-3 years.
This year-long review process was the first of its kind. The result is a tool that will now be utilized on a yearly basis. Every August/September, the Board of Education will be updated on the state of magnet programs in Wake County.
Results of the Review
At its August 7, 2007, meeting the school board voted to discontinue the magnet programs at four elementary schools: Lincoln Heights, Olds, Root and Wake Forest. This decision was made after determining that the schools were no longer aligned with the objectives set forth for all magnet schools. It was also decided that the new magnet program at Forestville Road Elementary School would not be implemented.
The Board reviewed and approved plans to phase out the magnet programs at four of the schools over a three-year period. The program at Forestville would have been implemented during the 2007-08 school year for the first time.
In addition, the Board agreed to continue the magnet programs that are in place at Daniels Middle, East Millbrook Middle, Zebulon Middle, and Broughton High Schools.
Finally, action was taken to convert Wendell GT Magnet Elementary and Zebulon GT Magnet Elementary Schools to application magnet schools. These two schools were created as equity magnets in 1982 and have never accepted applications.
FAQs on the Magnet Programs Review
- Is it the school board's goal to eliminate magnet programs from Wake County?
No. The Wake County Board of Education has continually affirmed the importance of magnet programs and the role they play in sustaining a healthy school system.
- If I have a child at one of these schools, will he or she retain his or her magnet status?
Yes. Current magnet students retain their magnet status as long as they remain students at that school. For example, a rising third grader will maintain his or her magnet status through fifth grade, giving that student some priority in the magnet application process for middle school.
- Will my magnet student’s younger siblings be allowed to attend this school?
Yes, siblings of current magnet students will be admitted with magnet status. These students will be allowed to maintain this status through fifth grade, allowing the sibling a priority when applying to a magnet school at the next level.
- We just applied and were accepted for the first time into one of the schools whose magnet program is being phased out. How will this affect my child’s magnet status?
Current and new magnet students retain their magnet status as long as they remain students at that school. For example, a rising kindergartener will maintain his or her magnet status through fifth grade, giving that student a priority in the magnet application process for middle school.
- How will transportation for magnet students be affected if the program at these schools?
Students who currently receive transportation will continue to do so during the phase-out period. Transportation will be discontinued at the end of the phase-out and parents will need to provide their own transportation at that time.
- What other actions did the Board take regarding magnet schools?
The Board agreed to convert Wendell GT Magnet Elementary and Zebulon GT Magnet Elementary Schools from equity magnet schools to application magnet schools. For the first time in the schools’ histories, they will admit magnet students through the application process for the 2008-09 school year.
WCPSS: Upcoming Information Sessions about Magnet Schools
- Magnet Program Information Sessions
- First Tuesday of each month: 10:00-11:00 am (Sept. 2007 – Feb. 2008)
- Learn about the K-12 magnet program options for your child
- Meet with representatives from the Magnet Programs Department
- Inquire about the magnet application process
- Collect information about each magnet school
- Determine which magnet schools are in your transportation area
- Magnet Resource Center
1600 E. Millbrook Road
Recruitment Room (lower level)
919-501-7900
- Magnet Schools Fair
- Saturday, November 3, 2007 (10:00 am – 1:00 pm)
- Explore the K-12 magnet school programs
- Visit with representatives from each participating magnet school,
Growth & Planning, and Transportation - Inquire about the magnet application process
- Enjoy magnet school performances
- Expand your child’s educational options
- Southeast Raleigh Magnet High School
2600 Rock Quarry Road
Raleigh, NC 27610
- Saturday, November 3, 2007 (10:00 am – 1:00 pm)
For More Information on WCPSS Magnet Schools
- Join us at the Wake Regional Education Roundtable on November 1 to learn more from Ken Branch, Senior Director of Secondary Education. Registration is required.
- Learn more about this event and register online:
- Learn more about Magnet Schools in WCPSS:
- For WCPSS Magnet School Application Information:
- Additional Magnet School Organizations: