johnb
11-19-2003, 03:34 PM
Minority population rises in Wake schools
Student needs are greater, some say
By T. KEUNG HUI, Staff Writer
School cafeterias can be among the most segregated places in the world, but best friends Marissa Scheetz, Kyra Smith and Rosie Tapia don't hesitate to grab seats next to one another during lunch.
The Carver Elementary School fifth-graders just take for granted that friends stick together.
"I don't care how many white people there are, how many black people there are or how many Hispanic people there are," Rosie, 10, said. "It doesn't matter. We're all the same inside."
These girls are the new face of Carver -- and of the rapidly changing Wake County school system.
This school year, minority students for the first time account for more than 40 percent of the system's enrollment as the percentage of white students continues to fall.
The percentage of students receiving subsidized lunches has reached an all-time high, complicating Wake's efforts to balance the number of children from low-income families among schools.
The Wake school system is growing rapidly, with 108,970 students making it the nation's 25th largest district. Of nearly 4,600 net new students this year, 924 are white. Hispanic students are the fastest-growing group.
Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal says the change is mostly a reflection of the rising number of minority residents moving into the county, the state and the nation.
"What we're seeing throughout the county is continued growth, and that growth happens to be from minority groups," he said.
According to 2000 Census figures, Wake's school-age population is 68 percent white. But the school system today is 58 percent white.
School district critics say the disparity shows that student assignment policies are causing affluent, white families to choose private schools or home schools.
Regardless of the reasons, these trends could exacerbate the academic challenges Wake schools face.
The increased diversity probably will make it harder for Wake to reach its goal of having 95 percent of third- through 12th-graders pass state tests by 2008.
This past spring, while 97 percent of Wake's white students passed state end-of-grade tests, 78 percent of Hispanic and black students did. Seventy-five percent of those receiving subsidized lunches passed, and 67 percent of those with limited English did.
McNeal said educating new students, especially those with limited English skills, will require more money.
"As you see these groups and you meet their needs, more resources are needed," McNeal said. "It's going to be a challenge, and we know that. We like a challenge."
More resources needed
Darryl Fisher, principal of Wilburn Elementary School in North Raleigh, can attest to the challenges of educating a diverse student body.
In four years, Wilburn's percentage of low-income students has increased from 29 percent to 52 percent, and the percentage of minority students has risen from 56 percent to 73 percent.
Meanwhile, the school's passing rate on state tests has risen from 85.2 percent to 89 percent.
"Even with all these challenges, our students are doing better," Fisher said. "It's a testimony to the hard work of our teachers. But it does speak to our kids needing more support than at other schools."
Other Triangle school districts also have seen their percentage of minority students sharply rise in the past decade.
In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system, for instance, the minority population has risen from 27 percent to 38 percent since the 1993-94 school year. Johnston County's percentage increased from 27 percent to 34 percent.
In Durham, where there are 3,000 fewer white students than a decade ago, the percentage of minority students has increased from 56 percent in 1993-94 to 72 percent this year.
Statewide, the percentage of minority public school students has increased from 34 percent in 1992-93 to 41 percent last school year.
Critics demand change
As Wake has seen a decline in the percentage of white students since 1992, there are now six times as many home schools in the county, and enrollment in private schools has increased 149 percent.
"If they don't change, you're going to have more people leaving the school system," said Cynthia Matson, president of Assignment By Choice, a parent group trying to change Wake's student assignment policies. "They're going to have a harder time persuading people to support bond issues when they're already paying money to send their children to private schools."
Several Wake schools have seen dramatic shifts the past four years. At Carver Elementary in Wendell, 59 percent of students are receiving subsidized lunches, up from 40 percent four years ago.
Carver has gone from 57 percent white in the 1999-2000 school year to 40 percent now. Much of the change has been caused by an influx of Hispanic children.
The change hasn't been completely harmonious.
"I like it the way it is here," said Iesha Savage, 10, a black fourth-grader at Carver, where 35 percent of students are black. "Some people don't like it when they talk Spanish, because they don't know what they're saying."
But Katie Bearden, a Carver fifth-grade teacher, said the students are more preoccupied with boy-girl issues than with race. The differences are something the students will value, she said.
"It brings a great dynamic to the classroom," Bearden said. "They're learning to respect other people's cultures."
Staff writer T. Keung Hui can be reached at 829-4534 or khui@newsobserver.com.
Student needs are greater, some say
By T. KEUNG HUI, Staff Writer
School cafeterias can be among the most segregated places in the world, but best friends Marissa Scheetz, Kyra Smith and Rosie Tapia don't hesitate to grab seats next to one another during lunch.
The Carver Elementary School fifth-graders just take for granted that friends stick together.
"I don't care how many white people there are, how many black people there are or how many Hispanic people there are," Rosie, 10, said. "It doesn't matter. We're all the same inside."
These girls are the new face of Carver -- and of the rapidly changing Wake County school system.
This school year, minority students for the first time account for more than 40 percent of the system's enrollment as the percentage of white students continues to fall.
The percentage of students receiving subsidized lunches has reached an all-time high, complicating Wake's efforts to balance the number of children from low-income families among schools.
The Wake school system is growing rapidly, with 108,970 students making it the nation's 25th largest district. Of nearly 4,600 net new students this year, 924 are white. Hispanic students are the fastest-growing group.
Wake Superintendent Bill McNeal says the change is mostly a reflection of the rising number of minority residents moving into the county, the state and the nation.
"What we're seeing throughout the county is continued growth, and that growth happens to be from minority groups," he said.
According to 2000 Census figures, Wake's school-age population is 68 percent white. But the school system today is 58 percent white.
School district critics say the disparity shows that student assignment policies are causing affluent, white families to choose private schools or home schools.
Regardless of the reasons, these trends could exacerbate the academic challenges Wake schools face.
The increased diversity probably will make it harder for Wake to reach its goal of having 95 percent of third- through 12th-graders pass state tests by 2008.
This past spring, while 97 percent of Wake's white students passed state end-of-grade tests, 78 percent of Hispanic and black students did. Seventy-five percent of those receiving subsidized lunches passed, and 67 percent of those with limited English did.
McNeal said educating new students, especially those with limited English skills, will require more money.
"As you see these groups and you meet their needs, more resources are needed," McNeal said. "It's going to be a challenge, and we know that. We like a challenge."
More resources needed
Darryl Fisher, principal of Wilburn Elementary School in North Raleigh, can attest to the challenges of educating a diverse student body.
In four years, Wilburn's percentage of low-income students has increased from 29 percent to 52 percent, and the percentage of minority students has risen from 56 percent to 73 percent.
Meanwhile, the school's passing rate on state tests has risen from 85.2 percent to 89 percent.
"Even with all these challenges, our students are doing better," Fisher said. "It's a testimony to the hard work of our teachers. But it does speak to our kids needing more support than at other schools."
Other Triangle school districts also have seen their percentage of minority students sharply rise in the past decade.
In the Chapel Hill-Carrboro system, for instance, the minority population has risen from 27 percent to 38 percent since the 1993-94 school year. Johnston County's percentage increased from 27 percent to 34 percent.
In Durham, where there are 3,000 fewer white students than a decade ago, the percentage of minority students has increased from 56 percent in 1993-94 to 72 percent this year.
Statewide, the percentage of minority public school students has increased from 34 percent in 1992-93 to 41 percent last school year.
Critics demand change
As Wake has seen a decline in the percentage of white students since 1992, there are now six times as many home schools in the county, and enrollment in private schools has increased 149 percent.
"If they don't change, you're going to have more people leaving the school system," said Cynthia Matson, president of Assignment By Choice, a parent group trying to change Wake's student assignment policies. "They're going to have a harder time persuading people to support bond issues when they're already paying money to send their children to private schools."
Several Wake schools have seen dramatic shifts the past four years. At Carver Elementary in Wendell, 59 percent of students are receiving subsidized lunches, up from 40 percent four years ago.
Carver has gone from 57 percent white in the 1999-2000 school year to 40 percent now. Much of the change has been caused by an influx of Hispanic children.
The change hasn't been completely harmonious.
"I like it the way it is here," said Iesha Savage, 10, a black fourth-grader at Carver, where 35 percent of students are black. "Some people don't like it when they talk Spanish, because they don't know what they're saying."
But Katie Bearden, a Carver fifth-grade teacher, said the students are more preoccupied with boy-girl issues than with race. The differences are something the students will value, she said.
"It brings a great dynamic to the classroom," Bearden said. "They're learning to respect other people's cultures."
Staff writer T. Keung Hui can be reached at 829-4534 or khui@newsobserver.com.