Rick Martinez, in his June 30 column, correctly noted that the graduation rate for low-income students in the Wake County public schools fell from 63.3 percent in 2007 to 54.2 percent in 2009. But he is exactly backwards when he blames the decline on Wake's diversity policy.
The decline in the graduation rate for low-income students coincided with a decline in diversity, due to the pressures of growth. The policy guideline was that schools should not have over 40 percent low-income students. In 2007, 36 schools exceeded that number. In 2009, 56 schools exceeded that number.
If Wake County's schools are allowed to become as segregated as schools in most other cities, we can expect the graduation rate for our low-income students to drop as low as the rates in those cities. What a tragedy for our children!
