Recently released test results in Wake County show commendable gains and an across-the-board narrowing of achievement gaps. Credit for rising test scores is due to hardworking teachers, whose day-to-day efforts in the classroom have driven student success.
To maintain this upward trend, it is critical that the Board of Education create good working environments for teachers where they can inspire student success. Wake County's history of attracting excellent teachers is because our schools maintain a good balance of kids from all socioeconomic levels. Studies show a direct correlation between having highly qualified, experienced teachers and higher achievement in students.
High-poverty schools have great difficulty attracting and retaining experienced teachers and principals. One example is Billingsville Elementary in Charlotte. This school consists 100 percent of economically disadvantaged students, a result of Charlotte/Mecklenburg's assignment policy by zones and choice. Almost half of the teachers in this all-poverty school are new and inexperienced. Test scores indicate 81.5 percent of the third-graders at this school cannot read at or above grade level.
