Charlotte Schools Look To Magnets To Close The Racial Gap
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Charlotte Schools Turn to Magnet Programs to Address Racial Disparities
Summary
Charlotte Schools have a longstanding history of tackling segregation in public education. While today's focus lies on addressing the racial gap in testing outcomes, significant steps began in 1969. The Civil Rights movement highlighted educational inequalities, leading to a 1971 US Supreme Court ruling that mandated 30 years of busing.Article
Charlotte Schools have been at the forefront of addressing segregation in public education for decades. The push to reduce the racial gap in student performance began in 1969. Following the Civil Rights movement, educational inequities gained national attention, culminating in a 1971 US Supreme Court decision that enforced mandatory busing for thirty years.
The introduction of busing brought swift changes. During the 1970s and 80s, Charlotte Schools gained nationwide recognition for their successful integration efforts. However, for many parents, this raised new concerns. Families wanted the option to send their children to local schools instead of having them commute across the city. The magnet program also faced criticism, as parents contended with the limited slots available for white and non-white students.
While busing aimed to integrate inner-city minority children with more affluent districts, the magnet program sought to attract middle-class families to underprivileged Charlotte Schools. These schools offer a variety of magnet programs, including gifted and talented education, language immersion, math and science, and global studies.
Magnet programs in Charlotte Schools are free and public, relying on a lottery system for enrollment. In 1997, dissatisfaction peaked when a family sued because their child was denied a place due to the quota for non-white slots being full. In 1999, a judge ruled that Charlotte Schools had achieved integration, leading to the repeal of the mandatory busing order. Although this decision faced reversals, the measure was reinstated in 2002, and Charlotte Schools have since operated without considering race.
By 2007, Charlotte Schools still faced familiar challenges. Despite some schools achieving high ratings and successful test outcomes, others in high-poverty areas lagged behind. The national racial gap persisted, with African-American and other minority students, except Asian-Americans, trailing behind their white peers in state testing.
Despite the innovative programs offered by many magnets, both white and black parents in Charlotte faced difficult choices regarding their children's education. Middle-class families had to weigh the benefits of a specialized program in a high-poverty school against the regular curriculum at a neighborhood school. Would attending a lower-rated school hinder a child's education, or could the strength of the magnet program overcome discipline and behavior challenges prevalent in at-risk schools? The success of Charlotte Schools’ magnet initiatives might ultimately have far-reaching implications, just as busing did in previous decades.
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