Economic Diversity in Public Schools
Since its founding in 1983, Wake Education Partnership has strongly supported student diversity in every school. The Partnership believes all children deserve a quality education and that goal is most attainable when all schools are diverse.
The organization has been a strong advocate for diversity in various ways throughout the years. A report in 2008 titled Striking a Balance: In Support of Diversity in the Wake County Public School System was among the Partnership's most recent publications on the issue. It can be found here.
During the 2002 Wake Education Summit, participants identified concerns about student assignment as a top priority, ranking the issue third from the top.
Other efforts to bring attention to the benefits of diversity include:
- "Making Choices," a report that summarizes the experiences of other communities that have moved to broader school choice and considers the research about the academic, economic and political issues for maintaining balanced enrollment;
- A resolution by the Board of Trustees calling on the Wake County Board of Education and the community to remain committed to balanced school enrollment;
- A series of television programs where panelists discussed the economic, academic and political issues linked to school diversity and student assignment (in cooperation with Time Warner Cable, News 14 Carolina and the Wake County PTA Council);
- Ongoing community discussions addressing the issue, including the Partnerhip's Education Roundtable Series.