School Diversity, Essay Example

In 1999, North Carolina’s Wake County made a historic decision to lead the way to full racial integration in its school system.  The program called for a mass busing system that would take some children to schools far from their home in order to create a more racially mixed profile within the county’s schools.  Although applauded by many as a much needed step to help diversify the county’s schools, the program was not embraced by all.  The parents of children who lived in the area with the coveted high income schools did not appreciate their children being bused to lower income schools.  They argued that their children were sent too far from home.  On March 23, 2010, the Wake County School Board voted to end the historic busing mandate, ending the attempt to create a more racially diverse school system in North Carolina.  This decision affected me personally because I have children in the Wake County school system.   With the mandate in effect, my children were given the opportunity to attend school with a diverse group of students from different backgrounds, giving them a well rounded, integrated education.  In addition, the program allowed children from less wealthy neighborhoods to have the opportunity to attend schools that reaped the benefits of a wealthier tax base.  With the mandate gone, schools will go back to the way they were before, segregated by race and wealth.  School board officials have made statements to assure the public that by turning over the mandate poorer children’s education would not be compromised.  “The majority agreed to an amendment by Dr. Anne McLaurin, another opposition member, that inserted language from the state constitution that guarantees all North Carolina children “an equal opportunity for a sound basic education.” (Goldsmith 2010)

One of the arguments for bringing an end to the bus system is to bring programs into lower income schools that will attract students from a diverse background.  However, these programs have been shown to be somewhat ineffective in their strategy.  “Magnet schools–schools offering a special curriculum and capable of attracting students of different racial backgrounds–are often touted as one of the most effective desegregation tools available.” (West 1994).  However, it has been shown that these programs do not, in fact, bring about a more diverse school setting.  One would expect to see classrooms in a magnet school full of a diverse mix of students, but this is rarely the case.  In fact, many magnet schools have racially segregated classrooms.  “Racial segregation within partial-site magnet schools is particularly damaging to the minority students who constitute the non-magnet portion of the school, because it labels them as inferior to the white transfer students who constitute the bulk of the magnet students within the school.”  Thus, programs such as the magnet program are still ineffectual compared to the Wake County mandate of busing students to create diversity in the classroom.

The 1999 mandate of Wake County was a historic moment in the history of school desegregation.  “Since the 1954 Brown Decision, powerful interest groups have sought and secured the assistance of the courts in providing legal support in abandoning desegregation initiatives.” (Ipka 2003)  Schools across the nation have quietly sought to dismantle desegregation policies and continue to re-segregate.  The move by North Carolina’s Wake County was a move in the right direction, to support the 1954 Brown Decision without federal mandate.  However, it was not looked on by everyone the same, especially by those whose children might be sent to a less prominent school.  On the other side, it was a blessing for parents from poorer school districts who were given the opportunity to send their children to a wealthier school where they would be given the chance to receive an education in a school with more resources.  With the over-turning of Wake County Mandate on March 23, 2010, 11 years of progress was dismantled and in the coming months Wake County schools will go back to being segregated by race and wealth.

It is sad that my children, and many others, will suffer due to the greedy and racist minded individuals on the school board.  “Education is a fundamental component to success in today’s world. Without quality education for each student, opportunities for advancement are limited while the playing field level remains unequal.  Education leads to employment, productive rather than antisocial lives, citizen participation, and a better quality of life in terms of health as well as wealth. Educated people are also a great asset to the community and if they so choose, can help the community at large to better itself. In addition, a diverse society is itself disadvantaged by segregated education, as children do not learn public life and democratic skills sufficient to carry their nation’s trust forward into the future. (McDougall 2005)

All children should have an equal opportunity for a good education in this country.  Wealth and race should not place one child above another.  The Wake County busing program gave a helping hand to children from lower income school districts who wished to receive a better education, even if it meant waking up earlier in the morning and coming home later in the evening due to longer bus rides.  The actions of the Wake County school board do not show concern for the lives and education of these children, but only appears to be protecting the interests of the wealthy constituents who put them into office.  Time will tell how this drama will play out.  In the meanwhile, it is the education of my children that will suffer.

References

Ipka, V.W. (2003). At risk children in re-segregated schools: An analysis of the achievement gap.  Journal of Instructional Psychology 30, 294 -304.

McDougall, Harold. (2005) School desegregation or affirmative action? Washburn Law Journal. 44, 65 –86.

West, Kimberley C. (1994). A desegregation tool that backfired: magnet schools and classroom segregation.  Yale Law Journal 103(8), 2568-2579.