Some of you may be wondering what the big deal is. Maybe you aren't interested in magnet programs for your children or maybe you think its all a bunch of fluff that detracts from basic academics. So why should you care? Because your non-magnet base school is limited in what it can offer to your child. No 'regular' elementary schools can offer band or orchestra. They cannot offer a foreign language as anything more than a once a week special. Your middle school children can only take 1 elective each semester. Non-magnet base schools are prohibited from offering anything more than the basics because then the magnet schools won't be so appealing. Not enough of 'you' will apply to the magnet schools to help them achieve their goals.
I think most of us have learned to accept this even if we don't like it because we are led to believe that all magnets are located in crime-ridden, high-poverty neighborhoods. We're led to believe that we are giving low income kids opportunities that they might not otherwise have like exposure to the arts and violin lessons. But as I've illustrated, some of the magnets are not located in high-poverty areas. So not only are our children denied opportunities at their base schools, we are subsidizing those opportunities for children living in homes that most of us could never afford. And we are paying for them to get those opportunities at their neighborhood school where they can walk or ride the bus with their neighborhood friends.
That is why you should care.
So what can you do? Write to the BOE to let them know that it is not acceptable to have magnet schools serving middle to upper income base nodes. Magnets should be located in high poverty areas or at the very least, only serve high poverty base areas.
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Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Magnet Review Time redux
Now is the time to act. The BOE is conducting their magnet review to determine which schools, if any, are not fulfilling the goals of the magnet program. Remember, the goals are to:
1) Reduce high concentrations of poverty and support diverse populations
We are generally led to believe that magnets are located in such high poverty areas that they must use special programs to entice non-F&R students to attend. Therefore, magnet schools should be located in high poverty areas and have F&R base populations. I would further propose that elementary magnets should be at or near the 40% F&R threshhold set by the BOE for healthy schools and that middle and high magnets be at or near the county average. Magnets receive extra funds to provide their programs and magnet families are generally involved and motivated to see their children succeed. A magnet with 40% F&R has an advantage over a non-magnet with the same 40% F&R.
2) Maximize use of school facilities
The idea behind this is that some of these older schools are in neighborhoods that have aged out. There aren't enough kids in the surrounding areas to fill the school so a magnet program must be in place to attract other students.
3) Provide expanded educational opportunities
I interpret this to mean expanded opportunities to all students in WCPSS.
So which schools aren't living up to these goals and why?
Elementary Schools
Underwood
As illustrated in a previous post, Underwood is not located in a low income area. Instead, it draws its low income students from downtown. The two base nodes directly next to Underwood have no F&R students and the median single family home price is around $400,000.
Underwood is overcrowded so 2 low income nodes were removed in last year's reassignment plan. In that same plan Growth Management noted that at 29%, Underwood's F&R is "slightly lower than desirable for a magnet school. However, staff did not identify a change in base area to recommend at this time". Perhaps they should have removed the higher income nodes near the school and let the low income nodes stay. And by the way, the 2 low income nodes were moved to Green Hope Elementary--18 miles away.
Joyner
Again, refer to the previous post on Underwood and Joyner. Joyner has 4 base nodes with median home prices ranging from a low of $390,000 to a high $760,000. While this school does have some low income areas assigned to it, I question why it is a magnet school.
Solution? De-magnetize Joyner and assign the non-F&R base nodes from Underwood to Joyner. There is legitimate concern that if both Underwood and Joyner were de-magnetized, there wouldn't be enough students in that area to fill the 2 schools while keeping them both under 40%. Since Underwood only has the 2 non-F&R base nodes it would be easier to move them over to Joyner.
Wiley
Although I haven't done all the research on Wiley's nodes like I did for the other schools, a quick look at zillow.com shows very similar home prices, so I think this school is worth mentioning. Wiley has an F&R of only 28% and like Underwood, Growth Managment recognizes that it is too low for a magnet. But like Underwood, they were unable to recommend a change to the base area. May I suggest that if Growth Management can't come up with a way to raise Wiley's F&R, then perhaps it should no longer be a magnet? Wiley could draw new base nodes from Lacy, which is overcrowded and already shares an assignment boundary with Wiley.
Middle Schools
Daniels Daniels has an 80% base population yet only has an F&R of 30%. Clearly, Daniels is not located in a high-poverty area, especially when compared to E Millbrook MS, which is 74% base and 44% F&R. Some of the most expensive and elite areas of central Raleigh are assigned to Daniels. See my previous entry on Joyner and Underwood nodes for an example--those nodes are all assigned to Daniels.
While your child has to choose between taking Band and Spanish or between Spanish and Art, students at Daniels get 2 elective periods each day. Daniels runs on a tri-mester schedule so students can take up to 6 different electives each school year, which helps with fitting in the Keyboarding course that middle school students must take.
Martin Martin has a 36% base and only 23% F&R, well below the WCPSS middle school average of 29%. Additionally, Martin pulls in low income nodes from downtown/SE Raleigh, a sign that it isn't located in a high-poverty area. You can see the price ranges for homes in Martin's base nodes in my previous post.
Martin is a gifted & talented magnet and offers an incredibly wide array of electives, including four different foreign languages. Martin students have 3 elective periods each day and electives are either year long, semester long, or quarter long giving students the opportunity to take up to 12 electives each year.
Solution?
De-magnetize Daniels and transfer the non-F&R base population from Martin to Daniels. Nodes that have both lower-income apartment complexes and homes selling for an average $500,000 should be split to allow the lower income children to stay at Martin. I would also increase Martin's low income base to bring it closer to 30% F&R.
High Schools
Well, there's only one high school to address, and that's Broughton. I cannot figure out why Broughton was made a magnet in the first place since it has always been the base school for the most expensive and elite areas of Raleigh. With a 67% base and a 21% F&R it doesn't appear to be a magnet candidate. I have heard rumblings for a few years now that Broughton is up on the magnet chopping block. One solution I have heard is to move the IB program to Millbrook High, which has been hurting in recent years. At 29% F&R, its not struggling as much as East Wake, Garner or Knightdale High but it is located down the street from East Millbrook Middle which has an IB program. So it would be a logical choice.
Additionally, Broughton has a very supportive alumni foundation that raised almost $500,000 in 2007. Given our limited funds, there are high schools that need a magnet program more than Broughton.
That's it for this post, although I could go on--and I will in the next entry. :-)
1) Reduce high concentrations of poverty and support diverse populations
We are generally led to believe that magnets are located in such high poverty areas that they must use special programs to entice non-F&R students to attend. Therefore, magnet schools should be located in high poverty areas and have F&R base populations. I would further propose that elementary magnets should be at or near the 40% F&R threshhold set by the BOE for healthy schools and that middle and high magnets be at or near the county average. Magnets receive extra funds to provide their programs and magnet families are generally involved and motivated to see their children succeed. A magnet with 40% F&R has an advantage over a non-magnet with the same 40% F&R.
2) Maximize use of school facilities
The idea behind this is that some of these older schools are in neighborhoods that have aged out. There aren't enough kids in the surrounding areas to fill the school so a magnet program must be in place to attract other students.
3) Provide expanded educational opportunities
I interpret this to mean expanded opportunities to all students in WCPSS.
So which schools aren't living up to these goals and why?
Elementary Schools
Underwood
As illustrated in a previous post, Underwood is not located in a low income area. Instead, it draws its low income students from downtown. The two base nodes directly next to Underwood have no F&R students and the median single family home price is around $400,000.
Underwood is overcrowded so 2 low income nodes were removed in last year's reassignment plan. In that same plan Growth Management noted that at 29%, Underwood's F&R is "slightly lower than desirable for a magnet school. However, staff did not identify a change in base area to recommend at this time". Perhaps they should have removed the higher income nodes near the school and let the low income nodes stay. And by the way, the 2 low income nodes were moved to Green Hope Elementary--18 miles away.
Joyner
Again, refer to the previous post on Underwood and Joyner. Joyner has 4 base nodes with median home prices ranging from a low of $390,000 to a high $760,000. While this school does have some low income areas assigned to it, I question why it is a magnet school.
Solution? De-magnetize Joyner and assign the non-F&R base nodes from Underwood to Joyner. There is legitimate concern that if both Underwood and Joyner were de-magnetized, there wouldn't be enough students in that area to fill the 2 schools while keeping them both under 40%. Since Underwood only has the 2 non-F&R base nodes it would be easier to move them over to Joyner.
Wiley
Although I haven't done all the research on Wiley's nodes like I did for the other schools, a quick look at zillow.com shows very similar home prices, so I think this school is worth mentioning. Wiley has an F&R of only 28% and like Underwood, Growth Managment recognizes that it is too low for a magnet. But like Underwood, they were unable to recommend a change to the base area. May I suggest that if Growth Management can't come up with a way to raise Wiley's F&R, then perhaps it should no longer be a magnet? Wiley could draw new base nodes from Lacy, which is overcrowded and already shares an assignment boundary with Wiley.
Middle Schools
Daniels Daniels has an 80% base population yet only has an F&R of 30%. Clearly, Daniels is not located in a high-poverty area, especially when compared to E Millbrook MS, which is 74% base and 44% F&R. Some of the most expensive and elite areas of central Raleigh are assigned to Daniels. See my previous entry on Joyner and Underwood nodes for an example--those nodes are all assigned to Daniels.
While your child has to choose between taking Band and Spanish or between Spanish and Art, students at Daniels get 2 elective periods each day. Daniels runs on a tri-mester schedule so students can take up to 6 different electives each school year, which helps with fitting in the Keyboarding course that middle school students must take.
Martin Martin has a 36% base and only 23% F&R, well below the WCPSS middle school average of 29%. Additionally, Martin pulls in low income nodes from downtown/SE Raleigh, a sign that it isn't located in a high-poverty area. You can see the price ranges for homes in Martin's base nodes in my previous post.
Martin is a gifted & talented magnet and offers an incredibly wide array of electives, including four different foreign languages. Martin students have 3 elective periods each day and electives are either year long, semester long, or quarter long giving students the opportunity to take up to 12 electives each year.
Solution?
De-magnetize Daniels and transfer the non-F&R base population from Martin to Daniels. Nodes that have both lower-income apartment complexes and homes selling for an average $500,000 should be split to allow the lower income children to stay at Martin. I would also increase Martin's low income base to bring it closer to 30% F&R.
High Schools
Well, there's only one high school to address, and that's Broughton. I cannot figure out why Broughton was made a magnet in the first place since it has always been the base school for the most expensive and elite areas of Raleigh. With a 67% base and a 21% F&R it doesn't appear to be a magnet candidate. I have heard rumblings for a few years now that Broughton is up on the magnet chopping block. One solution I have heard is to move the IB program to Millbrook High, which has been hurting in recent years. At 29% F&R, its not struggling as much as East Wake, Garner or Knightdale High but it is located down the street from East Millbrook Middle which has an IB program. So it would be a logical choice.
Additionally, Broughton has a very supportive alumni foundation that raised almost $500,000 in 2007. Given our limited funds, there are high schools that need a magnet program more than Broughton.
That's it for this post, although I could go on--and I will in the next entry. :-)
Martin Middle School
In my last post I addressed the higher income base nodes for Joyner and Underwood Magnet Elementary Schools. Now I'll tackle Martin Middle School, a gifted and talented magnet. Students at Martin get to take 4 electives each semester while students at non-magnet middle schools get to take 1 per semester. Martin offers an amazing array of electives including four different foreign languages, modern dance, civil war history, mythology, and printmaking. You can view the electives catalog here. Martin is comprised of a 36% base population and has an F&R of 22.8%, which is lower than the WCPSS middle school average. Several low income nodes are bused in from downtown/SE Raleigh but the majority of the base assignment area is located in neighborhoods surrounding the school. You can see a base assignment map here
The following table shows all of the base nodes that are in the surrounding area. Again, this table is abbreviated and the full data can be seen at Martin
The following table shows all of the base nodes that are in the surrounding area. Again, this table is abbreviated and the full data can be seen at Martin
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
More Magnet Questions
In my last entry I mentioned something that has bothered me: the number of non-F&R families who are given magnets as their base schools. Their children not only get to take advantage of the special programs that the rest of us are denied, but they get to walk to school or ride their neighborhood bus. WCPSS lets us believe that magnets are located in high poverty neighborhoods, but that isn't always the case. So just who is getting magnet schools as their base? Two examples that should shock you are the base populations of Joyner and Underwood, both elementary magnets.
To be fair, both schools do have low income nodes assigned to them. Joyner is located in an interesting area that is a mix of apartment complexes, condos and single family homes. Across the street from Joyner is a new development of homes starting in the $700Ks (The Oaks at Fallon Park) while behind Joyner is a large apartment complex where a lot of the low income kids live. Underwood, on the other hand, has to bus in their low income kids from downtown because there aren't a significant number near the school.
At one point in time, both of these schools (and their surrounding areas) may have struggled. But as you will see in the following tables, neither school is located in a high poverty area as we are typically led to believe. So why are they still magnets? Even more frustrating is the fact that in last year's reassignment plan, it was noted that Underwood has too low of an F&R for a magnet (29%) but they couldn't figure out how to raise it. If you can't raise a magnet's F&R above 29%, then perhaps its time to rethink its magnet status.
Both of these tables are abbreviated versions. The full tables, including information for each property that sold are available at: Joyner
and Underwood
To be fair, both schools do have low income nodes assigned to them. Joyner is located in an interesting area that is a mix of apartment complexes, condos and single family homes. Across the street from Joyner is a new development of homes starting in the $700Ks (The Oaks at Fallon Park) while behind Joyner is a large apartment complex where a lot of the low income kids live. Underwood, on the other hand, has to bus in their low income kids from downtown because there aren't a significant number near the school.
At one point in time, both of these schools (and their surrounding areas) may have struggled. But as you will see in the following tables, neither school is located in a high poverty area as we are typically led to believe. So why are they still magnets? Even more frustrating is the fact that in last year's reassignment plan, it was noted that Underwood has too low of an F&R for a magnet (29%) but they couldn't figure out how to raise it. If you can't raise a magnet's F&R above 29%, then perhaps its time to rethink its magnet status.
Both of these tables are abbreviated versions. The full tables, including information for each property that sold are available at: Joyner
and Underwood
Magnet Review Time
Holy cow its been a long time since I last updated! I've still been plugging away doing my research and speaking with lots of other frustrated parents around the county. Aside from the upcoming reassignment plan, the big news is the magnet review. As many of you may have read, the BOE has given preliminary approval for 2 new magnet schools--Brentwood and Smith. Both schools were approaching 70% F&R last year so it's about time that they do something for them.
So while that is good news, the BOE still has to do their review of current magnet programs to decide which aren't living up to the goals of the magnet program. Something that bothered me during our magnet years was the number of non-F&R families who are given magnet schools as their base. Also troubling is the low F&R at some of the magnet schools. So I put together a chart showing the base percentage at each magnet as well as the F&R.
Some caveats: these figures are for the 2007-08 school year and I am missing the figures for some magnet schools. Also, Douglas and Brooks had some base nodes moved out to make room for magnet applicants. So their numbers should be different this year. The other magnets should remain about the same.
Most troubling to me is Daniels Middle School with a base population of 80% and an F&R of only 30.3%. Compare that to East Millbrook or East Garner and I've got to seriously question why Daniels is still a magnet school. The same could be said for Broughton as well.
So while that is good news, the BOE still has to do their review of current magnet programs to decide which aren't living up to the goals of the magnet program. Something that bothered me during our magnet years was the number of non-F&R families who are given magnet schools as their base. Also troubling is the low F&R at some of the magnet schools. So I put together a chart showing the base percentage at each magnet as well as the F&R.
Some caveats: these figures are for the 2007-08 school year and I am missing the figures for some magnet schools. Also, Douglas and Brooks had some base nodes moved out to make room for magnet applicants. So their numbers should be different this year. The other magnets should remain about the same.
Most troubling to me is Daniels Middle School with a base population of 80% and an F&R of only 30.3%. Compare that to East Millbrook or East Garner and I've got to seriously question why Daniels is still a magnet school. The same could be said for Broughton as well.
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