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This makes perfect sense. How can they add more classes to a crowded track? There are a finite number of classrooms. They need to add where there is capacity.
We decided six weeks ago which neighborhood our three kids will be living in starting next week. Can't blame the district for that. It's not new construction.
Principals decide the track assignments. Principals are in the business of making parents happy. It's a lot harder to argue with a mid-year transfer who is the one person at the front desk registering compared to a bunch of pieces of paper reviewed in mass in the winter/spring.
I imagine you are probably correct there, but I think sometimes there are other issues involved too.
We're one of those families that will be bringing our 7th grader mid year (sorry guys... we're still pouring in ). Our house is being built right now, but won't be ready until Sept 1st. Our base middle school is YR. Given that our son will finish 6th grade mid-May here in AZ and that school won't start up again until mid August, if he's placed in track 1 or 2, he will have missed a total of 5 weeks of instruction. That's a lot to catch up on... especially in math. If on the other hand, he is placed in Track 3 or 4, he will have in effect missed 2 weeks on instruction time. That, I can get him tutored on and catch up easily. I have to admit that we're in the process of trying to contact the principal of the school right now to get some reassurance that he will take this fact into consideration when assigning our son to a track. We're not trying to get a "good" track, we're just trying to set up our kid for success. We realize that track 3 or 4 may be crowded (not sure if they are the popular tracks), but on the other hand it makes sense to try to minimize the amount of missed time for the incoming student both for his/her sake and for the sake of the teachers. JMO
That said, I would be upset too in the OP's position so I totally get your frustration. Sorry you have to go through this and hopefully, it'll work out so that you don't have to move track at all.
I'll probably get bashed for saying this, sarahmom since I don't live there, but I totally agree with you about the koolaid. The reassignment program, under-enrolled YR schools, etc., are all a social experiment in disguise, in my opinion. Most other cities found out that forcing diversity does NOT work. Perhaps one day WCPSS will realize this too. Though the more I read, the more I really think it's about the almighty dollar which WCPSS realizes as they boost their overall scores up through mandated diversity.
You know, I used to live in Massachusetts. And I have to say, the town-based regulations there -- which allowed wealthy Rte. 128/495 communities to use exclusionary zoning rules to keep affordable housing out, and which allowed town-based schools so that privileged areas could keep great schools, while leaving a few poorer cities like Lawrence and the like to be the sole bastions for the poor -- really bothered me.
Is all of this a social experiment? No, it's a response to a different social experiment, one which has seen our communities fall apart, which has seen rich and poor segregated geographically, which fosters cycle of poverty year-over-year that lead to great social services and corrections cost.
Funny thing, when I moved down from Cambridge to Durham, all my friends told me how much I'd miss liberal Massachusetts. Yet N.C. -- my family's ancestral home since the 18th c. -- is much more progressive than the Bay State in so many ways.
Charlotte's school desegregation program was one of the first in the south, and the model for Boston's (see the book Dixie Rising by former NYT bureau chief Peter Applebome for a good description). Wake County's economic diversity program has similarly been an early leader nationally. Both of these programs had strong local support in the days before so much in-migration took place from the Northeast; and they're under increasing attack, in Wake's case, from new-growth areas like the county's western portion that are attracting the most in-migration from supposedly progressive areas.
(Of course, that would be fitting with some of the Census data showing that it's Boston and NY suburban and exurban counties that send large numbers of migrants to the Triangle; the liberal city cores don't see much migration south, and those that do come disproportionately to Durham and I suspect Orange Cos., not Wake. Which fits with an assumption I have that the suburban migration is largely economic exiles with a more politically conservative predisposition.)
I have searched in vain but cannot find the answer. If I have 2 kids, just one year apart in school, can a situation arise where one is accepted into YR and the other one is not? And if they both are accepted into YR, would there be a possibility that they would be put on different tracks? Thanks for any response.
In the year where one is going to elementary and one is in middleschool, you could have two on different schedules. I have several friends who have this situation, where their elementary school child is on Year Round and their middleschool child is on traditional. For you, I guess, then the following year they would be back again in the same school, on the same schedule. The same could happen in the transition between middle and HS if the middle is YR and the HS is traditional schedule. I would assume this would happen only once since all HS here are traditional schedule you would either switch to traditional in middle or in HS.
I couldn't agree with this more! I lived in a small 2 bedroom house 15 miles from Boston so my children could go to good schools. It was so much of a case of the have and have nots . County run is a new concept for me. It's not perfect. But there are many choices in Wake County for housing that you can choose and know that your child is getting a good education.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bull City Rising
You know, I used to live in Massachusetts. And I have to say, the town-based regulations there -- which allowed wealthy Rte. 128/495 communities to use exclusionary zoning rules to keep affordable housing out, and which allowed town-based schools so that privileged areas could keep great schools, while leaving a few poorer cities like Lawrence and the like to be the sole bastions for the poor -- really bothered me.
Is all of this a social experiment? No, it's a response to a different social experiment, one which has seen our communities fall apart, which has seen rich and poor segregated geographically, which fosters cycle of poverty year-over-year that lead to great social services and corrections cost.
Funny thing, when I moved down from Cambridge to Durham, all my friends told me how much I'd miss liberal Massachusetts. Yet N.C. -- my family's ancestral home since the 18th c. -- is much more progressive than the Bay State in so many ways.
Charlotte's school desegregation program was one of the first in the south, and the model for Boston's (see the book Dixie Rising by former NYT bureau chief Peter Applebome for a good description). Wake County's economic diversity program has similarly been an early leader nationally. Both of these programs had strong local support in the days before so much in-migration took place from the Northeast; and they're under increasing attack, in Wake's case, from new-growth areas like the county's western portion that are attracting the most in-migration from supposedly progressive areas.
(Of course, that would be fitting with some of the Census data showing that it's Boston and NY suburban and exurban counties that send large numbers of migrants to the Triangle; the liberal city cores don't see much migration south, and those that do come disproportionately to Durham and I suspect Orange Cos., not Wake. Which fits with an assumption I have that the suburban migration is largely economic exiles with a more politically conservative predisposition.)
School policy could be the issue that leads to Wake County becoming more liberal and surrounding counties becoming more conservative. On the Eastern side of the Triangle the socially conservative economic exiles seem increasingly interested in Johnston County (Clayton particularly).
Meanwhile, on the Western side of the Triangle the Chapel Hill School District in Orange County seems to have that Northeastern version of liberalism that is in actuality very appealing to status seeking, economically exclusionary conservatives. Lastly, suburban South Durham (and to a lesser extent suburban North Durham) seem to be attracting the liberal 'except for when it comes to my children' types. Neighborhood schools in the wealthier areas act as private schools on the cheap whereas the neighborhood schools in the poorer areas act as...
I am childfree so I am interested in the education system as it pertains to the community at large. All things considered I feel more comfortable with the WCPSS approach than the alternatives. Still, I am glad for Wake County that the neighboring communities are drawing a greater share of the 'families with school age children' newcomers. A lower growth rate for this demographic would be a blessing.
I couldn't agree with this more! I lived in a small 2 bedroom house 15 miles from Boston so my children could go to good schools. It was so much of a case of the have and have nots . County run is a new concept for me. It's not perfect. But there are many choices in Wake County for housing that you can choose and know that your child is getting a good education.
But is the school system the tool to use to accomplish social goals? Just askin'
But is the school system the tool to use to accomplish social goals? Just askin'
When I hear people say that they prefer to exclude blacks, Mexicans, or low-income people from certain schools, and I have heard these statements, then I think that the schools are able to be used in various ways to achieve various social goals.
So, it is OK if one likes the goals, and less OK if one dislikes the goals, maybe?
Edit: I REALLY don't want anyone to think that this response is aimed at SarahMom, or her positions here. I truly do not mean to imply that in any way I suspect her of any rotten attitudes.
It is just that I have heard those comments from some ardent advocates of neighborhood schools, and I wanted to point out that there are various social goals in play.
Last edited by MikeJaquish; 03-27-2008 at 09:56 AM..
Reason: Clarification. Don't want to be snarky...
Sorry about your issues - but Here's the scoop - for those applying for year round schools - you take the year round schedule first - then the track. You really have to be willing to accept any track - and be willing to switch tracks per scheduling/enrollment needs, etc. hence the term *year round schools.*
I'm not trying to be ugly, but if you believe in the concept - you have to be flexible with your track.
Hopefully folks will volunteer and all will end up OK.
Based on you OP, I gather you applied for YRS vs base school, am I correct??
Yes, we did apply to YRS. I guess I was not aware that the school had the flexibility to move us around as they see fit. Since we also had to request a track, and were approved for that track, I thought that meant that it would not be changed. My main beef with them is that they could have prevented this by putting new mid-year students into the less desirable track, instead of overloading the desirable tracks that we all applied for.
You know, I used to live in Massachusetts. And I have to say, the town-based regulations there -- which allowed wealthy Rte. 128/495 communities to use exclusionary zoning rules to keep affordable housing out, and which allowed town-based schools so that privileged areas could keep great schools, while leaving a few poorer cities like Lawrence and the like to be the sole bastions for the poor -- really bothered me.
Is all of this a social experiment? No, it's a response to a different social experiment, one which has seen our communities fall apart, which has seen rich and poor segregated geographically, which fosters cycle of poverty year-over-year that lead to great social services and corrections cost.
Funny thing, when I moved down from Cambridge to Durham, all my friends told me how much I'd miss liberal Massachusetts. Yet N.C. -- my family's ancestral home since the 18th c. -- is much more progressive than the Bay State in so many ways.
Charlotte's school desegregation program was one of the first in the south, and the model for Boston's (see the book Dixie Rising by former NYT bureau chief Peter Applebome for a good description). Wake County's economic diversity program has similarly been an early leader nationally. Both of these programs had strong local support in the days before so much in-migration took place from the Northeast; and they're under increasing attack, in Wake's case, from new-growth areas like the county's western portion that are attracting the most in-migration from supposedly progressive areas.
(Of course, that would be fitting with some of the Census data showing that it's Boston and NY suburban and exurban counties that send large numbers of migrants to the Triangle; the liberal city cores don't see much migration south, and those that do come disproportionately to Durham and I suspect Orange Cos., not Wake. Which fits with an assumption I have that the suburban migration is largely economic exiles with a more politically conservative predisposition.)
CMS abandonded their busing policy and have reverted back to neighborhood schools.
We all saw how well busing worked in Boston in the 1970's but then again, you have to realize that Boston is probably the most racially segregated city in the Northeast. No excuses--just citing a fact. If you are black, you don't go into Southie.
BCR, you moved to Durham Co, not Wake Co. I don't know if you have kids. It's not the diversity issue that bothers me. In fact, one thing that bothers me most about my town is that I feel my kids have a skewed sense of reality and are in for an eye-opening experience when they leave for college. Yes, I live in a fairly affluent town because I wanted a good school system for the kids. I try to balance that out by having them come with me to do community service work and they do a lot on their own, too.
We lived in Fairfax, VA for a short time. County-based schools. More diversity than in MA, that's for sure (yes, I know FFX Cty is one of the highest per-capita incomes in the country but you still see a wide range of the socio-economic scale there). Yet, they manage to make the neighborhood school thing work there.
As I stated before, WCPSS so called diversity policy seems to me to be pandering more about obtaining the money that's out there for improving test scores county-wide and not about what's best for the kids.
That's just my outsider's opinion. Luckily, potential incoming transplants such as narrow-minded me, have a choice with other counties (Durham included) or private school.
Yes, we did apply to YRS. I guess I was not aware that the school had the flexibility to move us around as they see fit. Since we also had to request a track, and were approved for that track, I thought that meant that it would not be changed. My main beef with them is that they could have prevented this by putting new mid-year students into the less desirable track, instead of overloading the desirable tracks that we all applied for.
But they can't do that. For illustrative purposes, let's say the tracks were filled like this:
Track 1 -- 2 classes
Track 2 -- 1 class
Track 3 -- 1 class
Track 4 -- 2 classes
Transfer students don't all come in at one time. You can't just tack on an entire class to Track 2 or Track 3 in the middle of the year when you get one or two new students a month. So you add them into the classes that have room for them (likely on the tracks with more classes). So at the end of the year, you have to readjust a bit because now there are enough extra students in the Track 1 and Track 4 classes to make an entirely new class. You can't put that class on Track 1 or Track 4 because it would mess up the number of classrooms in school at one time.
I realize it's annoying and inconvenient. I'd be upset if we had to change Tracks too. But you can't just say, "Well, just put all the transfer kids in the crappy tracks" and be done with it. It just doesn't work from a fairness or logical point of view.
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). Our house is being built right now, but won't be ready until Sept 1st. Our base middle school is YR. Given that our son will finish 6th grade mid-May here in AZ and that school won't start up again until mid August, if he's placed in track 1 or 2, he will have missed a total of 5 weeks of instruction. That's a lot to catch up on... especially in math. If on the other hand, he is placed in Track 3 or 4, he will have in effect missed 2 weeks on instruction time. That, I can get him tutored on and catch up easily. I have to admit that we're in the process of trying to contact the principal of the school right now to get some reassurance that he will take this fact into consideration when assigning our son to a track. We're not trying to get a "good" track, we're just trying to set up our kid for success. We realize that track 3 or 4 may be crowded (not sure if they are the popular tracks), but on the other hand it makes sense to try to minimize the amount of missed time for the incoming student both for his/her sake and for the sake of the teachers. JMO
Maybe for one year
