The higher end-of-grade and end-of-course test scores and the narrowing of the minority and socioeconomic education gap in Wake County are to be applauded.
Part of that applause should go to former schools superintendent Del Burns, who believed deep down that diversity was key to improving educational performance. Education is a layering process, and the foundations of current performance levels were laid years ago. It was Burns who first recognized the fall-off in performance of low-income and minority children. In 2007, he championed the Management Curriculum Audit that defined many needed improvements. He kept the focus on raising the bar of educational performance
The steady closing of the gap in the early part of the decade and enormous amounts of scientific data supported Burns' beliefs. Diversity as a means of improving educational quality was the focal point of his administration.
