If you do away with Wake’s use of diversity in school assignment decisions, the district will inevitably segregate into two different systems. That’s a favorite non sequitur of the left and one I’ve been hearing quite frequently of late. Last night at the Wake County School Board meeting it was Matthew Brown’s chance to pick up the mantra. Brown of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens for African-American Children, spoke during the board’s public comment time. He warned the board if it moves away from diversity, the district could become “the national villain for re-segregation.” An irresponsible statement if I ever heard one. I guess that would make every school district without a diversity policy a segregated district. All one needs to do is look at any number of medium and larger-sized districts in North Carolina to see that is not the case.
Remember, Wake’s diversity policy was put forth as a means for boosting student achievement. It hasn’t. Brown conveniently ignores the fact that minority performance on EOG and EOC tests has lagged consistently behind other groups. Wake is moving away from its diversity policy because the current system proved unworkable and because it failed the very students whom it was supposed to help. Should we continue to enslave students to a system that may make some feel good, but – by every other objective standard — has failed miserably? That’s something we should all fear.
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