Southern States

The Wake County Public School system is the largest school district in North Carolina and the 16^th largest in the U.S. It serves nearly 150,000 students at its 165 schools throughout Wake County. The district has a relatively short but colorful history, formed amid desegregation in the South that changed the face of public education for the entire country.

The History of Wake County Public Schools

Wake County Public Schools is one of the country's more recently formed school districts, dating back to 1976. The district was formed due to a merger between the Wake County school system and Raleigh Public Schools. During that time, North Carolina schools were in flux, thanks to a Supreme Court decision in 1971 involving the desegregation of North Carolina schools. According to the Carolina Journal, in Swann v. the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, the Supreme Court determined that Charlotte-Mecklenburg must desegregate its schools through forced bussing.

While schools resisted the idea of forced bussing, it became apparent over the next two decades that desegregation improved academic performance and test scores in the affected schools. However, the program was not sustainable over the long term, and increased diversity in the suburbs of North Carolina deemed the act of forced bussing no longer necessary. During the 1990s, the segregation debate was revisited, and in 1999, a federal court struck down the idea of race-conscious student assignment. School zones were restructured, and parental choice became an option in many districts nationwide.

Despite the changes

School districts across the country are grappling with less funding to go around, but one of the largest districts in Florida and the country may have found a solution to its financial woes. The Orange County Public Schools district has launched an aggressive and comprehensive fundraising effort to pump more money into its cash-strapped schools. From Fuel My School to 5K runs, this school district is finding ways to pay for the type of learning experience it wants for its students.

In Search of Money

Orange County Public Schools recently announced ambitious fundraising efforts with a goal of $26 million in sight. According to the Orlando Sentinel, in addition to the fundraising plan, the district has an idea of how they want to spend the money they raise, citing a number of priorities where they would focus funding. Those areas included:

• Addition of a staff nurse to every Orange County school
• Affordable computers for low-income students with their sights set on college
• Tutors for every child who had the lowest scores on standardized state tests
• All-day pre-kindergarten programs for more effective early childhood education
• Literacy programs, including reading clubs for students
• Addition of more STEM opportunities at every grade level
• Additional centers for students requiring a daily location during suspensions
• Expansion of the City Year “Near Peer” mentoring program

While $26 million is the estimate to fully fund all of these programs, district officials are expecting to introduce the funding – and the new and expanded programs –

Parents are an integral part of their children’s education, but many parents aren’t sure how to go about helping their kids become successful in school. Miami-Dade Public Schools are committed to equipping parents to help their children become successful, productive students. The Parent Academy features a wealth of learning and resources designed just for parents of school-aged children.

What is the Parent Academy?

The Parent Academy is a unique service offered by Miami-Dade Public Schools, although similar types of services are offered at other large school districts around the country. The “academy” actually consists of a network of courses for adults on child development and education, discipline and even nutrition. There are also numerous resources available through the Parent Academy website, including services for low income families and additional educational opportunities for parents.

According to Neighbors 4 Neighbors, the Parent Academy has a number of goals for bringing parents into the education equation, including:

• Strengthening families through ongoing, relevant education
• Helping parents to become more active in their children’s education
• Support both education and the community at large
• Promote advocacy for stronger public education

To meet those goals, the academy strives to provide a wide range of offerings for parents, most of which are free of charge. The organization is currently supported by a long list of corporate sponsors and depends on additional donations from the community to continue its work.

The Parent Academy in Miami-Dade is particularly relevant because of the demographics of the population in

School holidays have become a focal point in some Florida school districts of late, as a Muslim organization has asked school administrators to consider adding two Muslim holidays to the school calendar next year. The request, which is under serious consideration by the school board, is not without its share of controversy. This is particularly true in light of the fact that many schools have done away with all holidays containing religious roots. Should Muslim holidays be recognized by U.S. public schools? Read on for information from both sides of the issue.

Details of the Request

The request to add Muslim holidays to the Florida school calendar was made by the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). The request has been directed to the Broward School District Diversity Committee. CBS Miami reports that two holidays are included in the request: Eid al-Fitr (the end of Ramadan) and Eid-al-Adha (the end of Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca). Both of the holidays fall on different days each year, depending on the lunar calendar.

Members of CAIR argue that Muslim students who celebrate these holidays with their families are forced to choose between their religion and their academic responsibilities. In some cases, students must miss examinations or other important classwork to stay home for the holiday. The school district currently allows students an excused absence if they take off days for the holidays. However, those urging for school closure say the excused absence does little to

As states struggle to find ways to improve academic performance in their public schools and obtain waivers to the pending No Child Left Behind benchmarks, one state has come up with a controversial method for setting student standards. The new benchmarks will be broken down into categories that primarily run along ethnic lines. This leaves some ethnic groups, such as white and Asian students, held to a much higher standard than minority groups like black, Hispanic, and Native American students. As one might expect, this new policy has raised the ire of parents, students, educators, and civil rights groups.

The New Benchmarks

The Examiner reports that the Florida State Board of Education has proposed setting academic benchmarks in math and reading according to the following subgroups:

Proficiency rating for reading by 2018 –

• Asians 90%
• Whites 88%
• Native Americans 82%
• Hispanics 81%
• African Americans 74%

Proficiency rating for mathematics by 2018 –

• Asians 92%
• Whites 86%
• Native Americans 81%
• Hispanics 80%
• African Americans 74%

According to the Daily Caller, students with disabilities, those learning English as a second language and economically disadvantaged students will be left out of the new benchmarks completely. While this is the short-term goal proposed by the state board, members quickly point out that the long-term goal is to have 100 percent proficiency in all subgroups for math and reading by the 2022-2023 school year. That long-term goal hasn’t smoothed the feathers of many who were significantly ruffled after hearing the breakdown of the subgroups for the six-year