Mixing Up Integration

Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, NC is mixing things up.  The school board has recently proposed a new plan that would allow for a new type of school integration based on achievement instead of socioeconomics.  The new plan calls for schools to be mixed using 70% proficient students and 30% failing students.  Currently, the school system requires on a 60-40 mix; 60% students without subsidized lunches and 40% with.

The benefits of this plan would be that all of the schools in the system could be considered high achieving or good schools, so less students would need or want the option of private schooling.  Another benefit would be allowing for students to learn from and help each other; the higher achieving students helping the lower.  Additionally, the article mentions that the current plan causes students to switch schools fairly often, the new plan would keep them fixed in their schools.

There are downsides to this plan as well though.  First off, the plan would actually not be that much different from the current situation since many of the students with subsidized lunches are the ones who are failing.  This is not always the case, but for the most part it is.  Additionally, students who are failing may still get lost in the shuffle with so many high achieving students in the classroom.  These sets of students need different types and levels of learning materials to achieve.

Overall, I think this plan could work, and be beneficial.  Parents would know their kids are going to good schools, and students would be able to learn in the environment they need.

What do you think?