Themes identified by Voices and Choices

Wake County and our public schools are at a turning point in meeting the educational needs of our community. The achievement gap is narrowing in the Wake County Public School System as a result of the ambitious goal adopted in 1998 - that 95 percent of all third- and eighth-graders be at or above grade level by 2003. This unprecedented effort has energized educators and aligned both public and private resources to meet the needs of all children. As we enter 2003, it is time to look toward setting a new goal.

With the help of more than 100 volunteers, Voices and Choices captured recommendations from 1,850 people representing a cross-section of our community.

Feedback sessions, which lasted approximately 45 minutes and were conducted from September through March, allowed community members to complete a survey and engage in a short discussion about their recommendations for the Wake County Public School System. Feedback sessions were scheduled by the volunteers with a range of groups and organizations, including school staffs and PTAs, businesses, chambers of commerce, civic clubs, service and government organizations, and community-based and faith-based groups. School system employees were intentionally over-sampled because of their direct involvement in implementing the goal.

The responses were analyzed using text-mining software at SAS, which created groupings of responses around particular words. These clusters were then explored to determine the dominant themes in the responses.

The analysis identified eight themes including:

Achievement: Respondents expressed a need for all students to reach their highest academic potential, regardless of sex, race, income or ability. We should continue working toward meeting Goal 2003 and closing the achievement gap, but we should also focus on challenging high-performing students who are already above grade level. A continual focus on student achievement must include challenging low-, average- and high-achieving students to improve. Reaching the goals of the federal No Child Left Behind legislation will require focusing on the individual needs of each student.

Size: Respondents called for smaller class size - and, in some cases, smaller school size - in order to achieve school improvement goals. These goals include improving the achievement of all types of students by allowing teachers to provide more individualized instruction tailored to the needs of each child. Respondents suggest that smaller class and school size would impact teacher effectiveness and teacher satisfaction, while also reducing discipline problems and over-crowding, improving communication and school climate, and creating a sense of community within the school.

Involvement: Respondents called for greater involvement in the public schools by parents and the community, creating shared accountability and improving communication among parents, teachers, students, administrators and the community. Fostering a welcoming atmosphere at schools and central office for parents and the community can help increase involvement and build relationships. In addition to keeping the whole community informed and engaged, some respondents suggested having parent contracts or setting a 95 goal for parental involvement.

Curriculum: Curricular offerings should be diverse and equitable across all schools in the district. The necessary facilities, funding and teacher resources (including mentors, tutors and community volunteers) to provide those offerings should also be equitable across the district. Curricular requests include small schools, small classes, ESL resources, physical education/nutrition, foreign language, technology, fine arts, vocational/trade schools, AP/AG classes, special education classes and life skills training. Respondents expressed a desire for both college-prep and career-prep opportunities for students, as well as magnet school type offerings at traditional schools.

Teachers: Respondents called for retaining and recruiting highly qualified teachers in order to ensure academic achievement for all types of students. Recommendations for higher compensation and improvements to working conditions included smaller class sizes, adequate resources, professional development, reduced paperwork, appropriate work loads, access to technology and increased respect for the profession. Respondents also expressed concern about the impact of a potential teacher shortage.

Assignment: While some respondents called for neighborhood schools and a new choice plan, others expressed a desire to maintain the current diversity policy and magnet program. Calls for choice span a continuum from total choice to limited options including magnet and year-round schools. Concerns about stability and school community are the result of continual reassignments, which some respondents perceive as a lack of planning at the expense of the students. Uneven growth across the county also creates assignment problems, with certain geographic and demographic groups feeling like they carry the burden. Respondents want to fell ownership and community at their schools.

Testing: While it is important to work toward higher test scores and high achievement levels for all students, respondents expressed concern that the current emphasis on standardized test scores is too heavy. In particular, the intense focus on EOG scores was viewed as somewhat excessive and coming at the expenses of creativity and other subjects and activities. Respondents expressed concerned about placing excessive stress on teachers and students, finding ways to measure "the whole child," treating students as individuals, making learning more enjoyable and meaningful, and focusing on growth (not just passing the test) for all students, including gifted and average students. Respondents expressed a mistrust of the data and a desire for balance between testing and teaching.

Change: Respondents expressed general concern about the system's ability to manage the change needed to meet the needs of a diverse and growing community. Constant and uneven growth, changing demographics, an influx of English-as-a-second language (ESL) students, and the continual need to update facilities present challenges to the district. Because many teachers, administrators, parent and students are new to Wake County and because different parts of the county have specific needs, building consensus can be difficult. Greater competition for public and private resources as well as increasing numbers of nonpublic school options creates additional challenges for the public schools.

 

Themes identified
by Voices and Choices

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