Desegregation: ''Little Rock School District Desegregation Plan''

Dr. Edward Kelly, superintendent
Little Rock School District Desegregation Plan Dr. Edward Kelly, Superintendent March, 1986 LRSD Board of Directors Herb Yarbrough, President Willie D. Bill Hamilton, Vice-president Ruth D. Shepherd, Secretary Robin R. Armstrong Thomas Broughton David E. Cockcroft Fay SouthernI. Introduction II. Racial Equity TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 4 A. B. C. D. E. F. Scope ................................................. Student Assignments ...................... Transportation ............................... Implementation ............................... Operating Procedures for Student Assignments ..................................... Staff Assignments ......................... 5 7 10 11 13 15 III. Educational Equity 20 IV. V. VI. I A. B. C. 0. E. F. G. H. I. School Organization and Grade Structure .. 22 The Instructional Program ............................. 22 Special Schools and Programs ................ Equity in the Educational Program .... Co-curricular Activities ...................... Parent Involvement in the Education of Their Children ........................................... Preparing for Change ............................... Staff Development ..................................... Linkages ...................................................... Organizational Equity A. B. C. 0. E. F. Governance ............................................... Administrative Reorganization .......... Job Descriptions for the Reorganized School District ..................................... School-Based Management ..................... Parent Involvement ............................... Monitoring and Evaluation ................. Facilities Financing the Plan A. B. C. D. E. F. G. H. I. J. General Consideration ........ Operating Revenue Reduction Additional Debt Service ... Office of Desegregation ... Transporation ....................... Magnet Schools ..................... Specialty Programs ............. Compensatory Programs ....... Cooperative Programs ......... Facilities ............................ 30 44 49 53 < 54 62 66 < 77 78 80 83 93 98< 101 104 108 109 no 111 111 112 113 113 114 115 ,115 i IVII. Summary 117 VIII. IX. A. B. C. D. E. Racial Equity ........... Educational Equity .. Organizational Equity Facilities ................. Finances ..................... Appendix A. B. C. Program Components: Compensatory Programs K-12 ................................. 118 120 123 126 127 129 130 Program Components: Enrichment Programs ..137 Program Components: Staff Development ....138 Attachment 1 i iTHE LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION'S PLAN FOR ACHIEVING QUALITY DESEGREGATED EDUCATION i 1 iI. INTRODUCTION -1- IThe purpose of this plan is to lay a foundation on which to build a fully desegregated public school system for the city of Little Rock. The plan has been designed with a view to ensuring that that system will be made racially unitary in all respects: governance. teaching, learning. and participation in co-curricular programs
that no school facility or program will be left racially identifiable
that all students will enjoy equal access to and equal treatment within educational programs
that full equality of educational opportunity will be extended to all black students, including the provision of compensatory and other educational support programs designed to both offset and countervail the historic ravages of racial discrimination
that burdens of transportation and relocation will be distributed equitably across all households and all school staff
and that the resulting system will cooperate effectively with the adjacent districts of Pulaski County and North Little Rock to prevent the recurrence of interdistrict effects. In addition to laying a foundation on which to build a system with the above remedial features, this plan has been prepared so as to meet the following operating principles: 1. 2. This plan seeks to go beyond the goal of redistributing students and staff. It is also a plan for achieving educaI tional improvements of benefit to all students but critical for the attainment of the goal of equal educational opportunities for black students. Each school within the system will be affected in generally similar ways
no school will be exempt or go unchanged. -2-0 . This plan proposes solutions to the challenge of fiscal workability by resolving issues inherent in the transfer of school facilities and attendance areas from the county to the city system and by detailing needed changes in types and amounts of state funding. 4. This plan aims at clarity of understanding for patrons as well as staff and students who should be able to learn from it where pupils will be assigned
what the grade structures, feeder patterns, and subdistricts or areas are 5. to be
and how the system will change over time. This plan proposes an approach that will stabilize the system wherever possible within the broad purpose of desegregation. -3-II. RACIAL EQUITY -4-I A. SCOPE Desegregation does not simply mean the idea of racial balance in the assignment of students and staff. Desegregation is more fully defined in the Introduction to this plan. Here, the application of that definition to the issue of scope is examined. A public school system is mandated by the state to deliver educational and education-related services to students and patrons residing in the district the system hosts. There- fore, the first aspect of scope in relation to desegregation concerns the formulation of boundaries for the District and any boundaries within the District that affect school facilities and student and staff assignments. This plan is predicated upon the rationale presented in the decision of the Sth Circuit Court of Appeals for bounding the District of the Little Rock public schools so that the District is contiguous at all points with the boundaries of the city of Little Rock. That rationale asserts, and we agree, that the various purposes of intra-district and inter-district relief can be accomplished on this basis
that, barring consolidation. boundaries should be changed as minimally as possible on the three standing districts
and that changing the Little Rock School District boundaries in order to make them coincide with the city's boundaries is consistent with changes that have taken place since 1972. The rationale is explicitly not one of redrawing boundaries so as to maximize the initial racial composition of any one, two, or three of the districts. It is not desirable or necessary to the fashioning of a fully desegregetive remedy to use the tool of boundary drawing so as to allocate black students to the County district and white students to the city. Once the -5- remedial potentialities of county-wide consolidation have beer set aside, the redistributive balancing of residential populations by race cannot then be sequestered for manipulation in and of itself. Finally, by making the Little Rock School District boundaries contiguous with the city, future processes of city annexation will have further consequences for desegregation in themselves, as would efforts to desegregate housing in the county. Within the newly bounded Little Rock School District, we propose to develop a series of two student attendance zones. Both zones will contain roughly the same number of seats and the same number of students, and racial composition of Little Rock School District enrollments in each zone will be roughly comparable with the racial composition of Little Rock School District enrollments districtwide. The rationale for developing and maintaining these zones is to increase the workability of the remedial plan with respect to clustering transportation facilities and routes, reducing the time and distance between staffs, parents, and students within each zone, and improving public accountability for operations, and the effective delivery of educational services. Just as the boundaries of the Little Rock School District may change in the future as the city grows, so the zones may be modified to accommodate "facility replacements and renovations and changes in housing patterns. This plan addresses the necessity of having equal representation from all segments of the community by using an election procedure which requires election to the Little Rock School District Board of Directors from single member districts. In -6-addition, this plan addresses the need to provide equal access to all staff positions. This plan includes strategies for achieving a ratio of fifty percent black and fifty percent white in all positions. I This plan proposes several ways in which the three districts can cooperate in order to enhance the desegregation of the District as well as improve the quality of education in all three districts. B. STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS The student assignment plan for the reorganized Little Rock School District will be the Controlled Choice Assignment Plan. The basis for this plan is the "Student Attendance Zone. fl The District has been divided into two student attendance zones which are approximately equal in numbers of students, numbers of buildings and in racial balance. The map on page nine shows the two attendance zones, the number of schools, and the racial makeup of each zone. Using the parameters of racial equity and minimal busing distance, every student will be assigned to a particular build- ing. Each grade and building will reflect the racial balance of that particular grade level within that attendance zone. For example, each elementary school and each grade will reflect as closely as possible a black to white ratio of 64 percent to 36 percent. Each junior high will have a ratio of 54 percent black to 46 percent white student, and each high school will have a ratio of 45 percent black to 55 percent white students. In the District's proposed magnet schools students will be accepted according to specific application and acceptance -7-criteria. An seats shall be assigned based upon request. A specific number of seats in each of the magnet schools will be reserved for those students who live in the immediate neighborhood. The remaining seats will be divided among the three school districts based upon their student racial population in Pulaski County. If one district does not use all the seats reserved for their students, the remaining seats will be divided between the other two districts. If there is an oversubscrip- tion, a lottery will be held to determine which students will be admitted. The ratio between black and white students will be 5C-50 in the magnet schools. After the students are assigned to a particular school, the parents may request reassignment to another school within their attendance zone. This plan proposes a deviation of plus or minus one-eighth of the black student population within any particular school. Therefore, at the elementary level the acceptable range for any particular school will be one-eighth of 64 percent which produces a range of from 56 percent to 72 percent black students. Similar deviations at the junior and senior high schools will be allowed. If the parents request reassignment of their child and if this request will assist in the integration of a particular school or falls within the acceptable range, the request will be honored. All magnet school assignments will be based on the request of parents. Any student new to the District will be assigned to a school through the controlled choice method. Parents new to the District may request as many as three schools to which they would like their children assigned. Assignment will be based on the highest choice that meets the requirements of the plan. -8-<5 I I I o Highway 10 Interstate 30 Zone A 7,770 5,531 13,301 Zone B 7,376 5,653 13,029 STUDENTS____________ Black Other Total t Black 58' 57'.
15,146 11,184 26,330 58' Number of Schools 25 27 52 c. TRANSPORTATION Transportation will be provided to all students who live more than two miles from the school they will attend. Original assignments will be made on the basis of racial equity and least distance in order to prevent any part of the community from sharing an unfair burden of the busing responsibility. Because of the controlled choice assignment method used to determine where students will attend school, a plan will be developed to have transportation available to all students. Transportation will.be provided for all after-school extracurricular activities. Although it is unlikely that each student will require transportation, we must plan to provide it. Such a contingency will require the District to increase its fleet by 251 buses and add the driving and support personnel to operate a fleet of this size. In addition, a new facility will be required to house. dispatch, and maintain such a fleet. The additional buses will cost approximately $6.3 million if purchased outright. If procured through a lease-purchase arrangement, a down-payment of about $1.6 million will be required plus four annual payments of the same amount. An adequate facility for a fleet of this size will cost about $1.1 million. The additional drivers required will cost around $1.7 million per year, and the support personnel will cost approximately $1.9 million annually. The additional fuel, parts. etc., will total about $1.7 million on a yearly basis. The first-year costs for the fleet will be $12.7 million if the buses are purchased or $8.0 million if the buses are leased. -10-D. IMPLEMENTATION 1. Office of Desegregation The Little Rock School District Office of Desegregation will be responsible for the implementation of the desegregation plan and will be part of the system's central admin- istration. The Office of Desegregation will be managed by a full time Associate Superintendent for Desegregation, who will report directly to the Superintendent and will have direct line responsibility to act on behalf of the Superintendent in all matters pertaining to student and faculty desegre- gation and all other elements of the plan. The Associate Superintendent for Desegregation will have a staff sufficient to ensure the efficient implementa- tion of the plan and will have line authority to delegate administrative responsibilities that bear directly on the effective implementation of the plan. The Office of Desegregation will include the Student Assignment Officers for the District. The Assignment Officers will have sole responsibility to make all final student assignment decisions in the Little Rock School District. Such assignments will be made in strict accor- dance with the pupil assignment policy and operating procedures of the plan and will be subject to periodic review and oversight by the Board of Directors. To ensure the integ- rity of the controlled choice method of assignment, a review process will be established within the Office of Desegregation to review assignments for errors and conformance to appropriate policies and procedures. -11-The Office of Desegregation will have an annual budget sufficient to carry out the duties and responsibilities of the Office in accordance with the requirements of the plan. The budget must include funds for the full time employment of the Associate Superintendent for Desegregation, Student Assignment Officers, and a Parent Coordinator plus three additional staff members and clerical staff. These funds must be part of the annual operating budget of the Little Rock School District. 2. Parent Choices The Office of Desegregation will assist all parents in the process of selecting appropriate schools within the con- straints imposed by this plan. Parents will be actively encouraged to visit schools before making their selections. and the staff of the Office of Desegregation will work directly with each school in the zone to coordinate parent visitations. School visits will be arranged during and after school hours, and parents will have direct access to teachers and principals in all schools. At least two weeks prior to the registration period, each school will conduct parent information meetings in the school. The Office of Desegregation will collect and disseminate information about each school option to all parents and school-age children in each zone. Brochures describing the educational offerings, services, programs, facilities, and teaching methods of each school will be developed. -1?-E. OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR STUDENT ASSIGNMENTS The controlled choice assignment policy is designed to provide maximum choice for parents in selecting the schools their children will attend within the constraints imposed by available space, the requirements of racial desegregation, and the special programmatic needs of the children. It provides stability of assignment for children and, at the same time, a mechanism for adjusting the racial composition of schools, as needed, without unnecessary movement of students. It gives a priority in assign- ment to current residents of the District over late arrivals. 1. Year One Implementation During the first year of implementation, there will be one registration period for parents with school-age chil- dren. All students currently enrolled in the Little Rock School District during the year the plan is implemented will be assigned to a school within their student attendance zone established by this plan. All students enrolled in the system will be given their zone designations and a description of school offerings within their zone along with their school assignment. After parents have been notified of the schools to which their children have been assigned, they will have a period of one month in which to complete an application and rank order their three preferences for other schools within their attendance zones. No stated preference will be guaranteed, and all will be reviewed for their impact upon the student racial composition and enrollment size by grade of the schools in the zone. -13-Parents and students will have the opportunity to inspect other schools in their attendance zones if they wish. At the end of this period, parents will indicate if they wish to request reassignment by completing the appropriate form. Applications for school choices will be provided by the Office of Desegregation in a timely manner. Final school assignments will be made by the Student Assignment Officer following the end of the submission period for the assignment applications. Following the assignment of students currently enrolled in the Little Rock School District, all newly entering students will be assigned to schools under the provisions of the assignment policy. 2. Sibling Preference Parents who have more than one child enrolled in the District will be given preference in having their children 3. assigned to the same school at the appropriate level. Space Available Space available in a particular school will be defined according to the policy in effect concerning school capacity utilization and class size limitation. 4. Special Needs Any student requiring special education will be assigned to an appropriate school. Mainstreamed special needs students will have a preference to remain in the school in which they received special instruction. -14-5. Oversubscription K 1^ L Following the initial student assignments, if more students apply for a specific school than can be accommodated, a lottery will be held to assign the students to a school within the students' attendance zones in accordance with the desegregation plan. 6. Mandatory Assignment In the event that the Assignment Officer cannot accommodate a parent's initial school preference, a student will be assigned to the school which represents the parent's second choice (then third choice) which facilitates desegregation. Parents and students may elect to transfer to a differ- ent school than the one attended the previous year. All I transfer requests will be subject to the controlled choice assignment procedures. F. STAFF ASSIGNMENTS 1. Staff Redistribution The reorganized Little Rock School District should be staffed desegregatively according to two policy guidelines to be followed at all levels of staffing: Black staff will comprise at least one-half of all personnel in each position or job description and for I part-time as well as full-time employees. In any one location, from central office to school buildings, the staff ratios will comply with the order of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which allows a deviation of one-fourth of the remedial guideline. Therefore, any school building or unit will not have less than 38 percent black staff or more than 62 percent. -15-The one-half standard for staff constitutes a reasonable compromise relating to the 58 percent black and the 42 percent white enrollment of the reorganized Little Rock School District. Also, this variation is based on the student enrollment variation recommended by the Court. This brings the staffing ratio within range of the enrollment ratio. Since the District now has a black certified staff of about 40 percent, a one-half black staff can be attained over a period of five years without terminating or dislocating current staff. The rationale for one-fourth of the remedial policy is based on the variation permitted in the racial composition of the students in the District. For example, the Eighth Circuit Court order suggested that a school district may, where necessary, be permitted to depart from the remedial policy guidelines in school enrollment by over or under-representing blacks or whites by as much as one-fourth of the remedial guideline for either race. Thus, to remedy existing staff inequities as reflected in the racial composition of the enrollment in the District, it is necessary to provide some flexibility. This flexibility is needed even though the Little Rock School District has a teaching staff that is 37.6 percent black and 62.4 percent non-black. Yet, it is also important to set a minimum variation in the racial composition of the staff for each school building or unit. The Little Rock School District will initiate an aggressive recruitment plan to meet staffing needs at all employment levels. The plan will extend recruitment efforts -16-for certified employees to out-of-state colleges and universities. The timetable set to fully implement the staffing remedial policy guideline is five years. When the plan is fully implemented, the Little Rock School District will have increased the number of employees in any one category that amount necessary to bring the percentage of the group to the desired level of black or white employment to have a one to one ratio in all levels of employment throughout the District. Over the five year period, black employees in each staffing category, will increase at least two percent per year. Because of possible demographic changes, the remedial policy guideline will be reviewed before the fifth year of implementation. The following table shows the present staffing ratios as well as the incremental changes planned for the five year period. I .. -17-PROJECTED BLACK EMPLOYMENT PERCENTAGE CHANGES OVER FIVE YEAR PERIOD CATEGORY 1985-86 1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 CERTIFIED TEACHERS 38 41 44 47 49 50 ADMINISTRATORS 41 43 45 47 49 50 *NON CERTIFIED 56 55 54 53 52 50 Although the Black noncertified employees represent 56 percent of that category, some groups will need special attention to achieve the remedial guideline. -18-2. Staff Assignment Plan The success of a school system is dependent to a considerable extent on the collective performance of its staff. In these staff assignments, some care should be considered to provide for building level needs and to achieve remedial guidelines. Thus, it is important that staff be assigned to each school building according to need and with as much concern for success as possible. With this in mind, the staff assignment plan will at the same time be highly responsive to building and District needs and address remedial guidelines established to address staffing equity. The Associate Superintendent for Pupil and Staff Services, using data developed by the Director of Personnel, will formulate, in cooperation with building principals, the staffing needs of each school and identify the prospective personnel available to meet those needs. The Associate Superintendent for Pupil and Staff Services and the Associate Superintendent for Desegregation will review staff assignments to facilities and programs on the basis of desegregative guidelines. The Associate Superintendents will cooperate closely in the work of recruiting black staff for positions at all levels in the District. -19-III. EDUCATIONAL EQUITY -20- BBThe problem to be remedied by school desegregation is not racial injustice in general
it is racial injustice within the instructional design and service delivery system of public education. This section I of the District's plan describes new programs as well as modifications of existing programs and instructional practices which are necessary for full, equitable desegregation of Little Rock's public schools. While boundary changes, staff reassignments, and student reassignments are important and necessary to the achievement of quality desegregated education, they are in themselves insufficient to attain it. What is essential are excellent educational programs to which all students have equitable access, and sound instructional practices and procedures from which all students in the desegregated Little Rock School District can benefit. This section will propose such programs, along with practices and procedures which support and enhance them, and will thus lay a foundation for ensuring equal treatment, equal learning opportunity, and improved learning outcomes through the curriculum, the design and I organization of instruction, special schools, extracurricular pro- 1] grams, and community-school linkages. The educational equity proposed by the District is a beginning I point of assurance to students, parents, and citizens that the right to an opportunity for a quality education for every student is preserved. Equity within opportunity is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society and must be visible, evident, and operative in the schools of the desegregated school system. -21- A. SCHOOL ORGANIZATION AND GRADE STRUCTURE Schools and school districts can be and are organized many different ways. The predominant patterns of organization for schools tend to be K-8, K-6-3-3, and K-5-3-4. In the Little Rock School District, each school will reflect a common grade structure which in a general way will characterize it as an elementary, a junior high, or a senior high school. Specifically, the common organizational pattern of schools will be K-6, 7-9, 10-12. This pattern is already partially in place in the District. Nine of the twenty-seven elementary schools in the District are K-6 while nine are K-3 and seven are K, 4-6. The remaining two schools, Booker (4-6) and Williams (1-6), do not presently have kindergarten classes but will do so when the desegregation plan is put into place. All of the elementary schools to become part of the Little Rock School District have a grade structure of 1-6. Kindergarten classes will be added to these schools when they are annexed to the Little Rock School District . At the secondary level all but one school are presently organized as 7-9 junior highs and 10-12 senior highs. The only exception is J.A. Fair which is a 7-12 school. It will become a B. senior high school. We believe that a K-6, 7-9, and 10-12 organizational pattern for schools will best meet the needs of the students in the Little Rock School District. THE INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAM In the Little Rock School District each student will have access to an education appropriate to his or her needs and interests. Each school will provide common and specialized -22-I I II course offerings designed for this purpose, and each school will provide a curriculum which meets or exceeds state standards and regulations. Parents and students will know that their access to educational opportunity is not dependent on where they live or what school they attend but simply on the fact that they live the Little Rock School District. Differentiation in educational offerings, either subtle or obvious, can be odious, inequitable, and lead to large-scale community disgruntlement. It is imperative that equal and fair access to a comprehensive education be guaranteed to each student. To do less would mean that some students would be deprived of a right and an opportunity which should be accessible to all. At the elementary level, this means that all schools will comply with the educational standards of the state of Arkansas and will exceed them in at least two respects: 1) We will act affirma- Lively to eliminate the historically persistent effects of discrimination, and 2) where the Standards recommend 85 percent mastery on state competency tests, the District's standard will be 90 percent. A strong emphasis on mastery of basic skills will provide the foundation for learning in the Little Rock School District elementary program. However, other important areas of learning will also be clearly evident and may provide the basis for program specialization within each school discussed in Section C, pages 30-44. Schools will provide structured, planned learning activities which will enable students to develop healthy self-concepts, to understand and appreciate others, to use their accumulated knowledge to understand and interpret the world, to become self-directed learners, to become responsible, to be -23- creative, and to cope with change. Schools will also reflect the effectiveness characteristics as identified by Ronald R. Edmonds: 1. A pervasive and broadly understood school mission
2. Monitoring of student achievement as a basis for program evaluation
3. Teachers who clearly exhibit through their interactions with students the belief that all students can learn
4. A safe and orderly school climate
and 5. A principal who is the instructional leader of the school, one who pays particular attention to the quality of learning and teaching in the school. In addition to these five characteristics, a strong parent involvement component will be evident in Little Rock School District elementary schools. Within the standard of equity, there is room for appropriate school-level program specialization. Each school can and should provide specialized course offerings to meet the needs of its students. Special, identifying features of each school will be evident. Each school should be distinctive in its identity as a community of learning for both students and staff. Through its emphasis on mastery of basic skills, the Little Rock School District will continue to seek to remediate skills deficiencies evident in the learning of many minority students. To support its belief that sufficient "time on task II will enable practically all students to master the basic curriculum, the District will establish reading and math intervention programs in its elementary schools. These compensatory programs will consist of pull-out laboratories, personalized classroom assistance by trained paraprofessionals, and "extended day" remedial programs -24-which will provide intensive instruction to students who have not mastered the basic skills. Two points should be made with regard to the District's emphasis on basic skills mastery. First, the term "basic skills" should be defined as a broad set of functional skills, not simply the "3 R's. II Second, total mastery of the basic skills is not necessary as a prerequisite for learning to occur in other areas. Attainment of partial mastery enables the student to pursue other learnings, thus causing learning to occur in a spiraling fashion and providing increased motivation for mastering basic skills. Pursuit of learning in areas other than basic skills enables students to broaden their experience base, to construct meaning from these experiences, and consequently to apply their new insights to ever increasing levels of skills mastery. For students disadvantaged by the segregative effects of a non-unitary school system, this broadening and enriching of the experience base is a necessary prerequisite for learning. Consequently it must be an integral part of the basic instructional design for learning in all elementary schools in the Little Rock School District. One of the most important resources for providing these broadening and enriching experiences for our children will be the school library or media center. In the desegregated school District, a model already developed by Pulaski County Special School District will form the basis for library media services to I I students. This model provides for extension and enrichment of classroom learning through planned instructional units taught by the librarian which are an outgrowth of reading instruction provided by the classroom teacher. -25- In addition to an overall instructional program planned specifically to broaden and enhance learning for disadvantaged children within its elementary program, the District will also provide an early childhood education program to help offset educational deficiencies resulting from vestiges of segregation. The purpose of this program will be to prepare youngsters for school success through the development of basic academic readiness skills as well as interpersonal relations skills. The Early Prevention of School Failure model (now used in kindergarten in both the Little Rock School District and Pulaski County Special School District) will be used as a basis for the development of the pre-kindergarten curriculum. Other programs provided in the Little Rock School District elementary schools will also be structured so as to offset the segregative effects of a non-unitary school system. Black and non-black students will not be disproportionately enrolled in special programs. Black students will not fill special education classes, nor will non-black students fill classes for the gifted. In the Little Rock School District program for gifted and talented students, multiple identification criteria will be used to select students for the program. These criteria will reflect the six principles established by a panel of experts who participated in a U.S. Department of Education-sponsored research project on gifted and talented education
a. Advocacy. Identification should be designed in the best interests of all students. b. Defensibility. Procedures should be based on the best available research and recommendations. c. Equity. Procedures should guarantee that no one is -26-overlooked. The civil rights of students should be protected. Strategies should be outlined for identifying the disadvantaged gifted. d. Plural ism. The broadest defensible definition of 3, L giftedness should be used. e. Comprehensiveness. As many as possible gifted learners should be identified and served. I f. Pragmatism. Whenever possible, procedures should allow for the modification and use of tools and resources on I I, hand. The Little Rock School District presently provides a day j
I hi care program for school age children which enables working parents to bring their children to school at 7 a.m. and pick them l' up at 5 p.m. The program is funded by parents. This program will be expanded in the desegregated Little Rock School District. Youngsters will have opportunities for enrichment activities, such as music, dance, and art, and will also have opportunities for tutoring, homework supervisions and assistance, and remedial help. While this program is presently supported by parents, the District proposes that a sliding scale" fee system be estab- lished for parents who are unable to pay the full costs so that no children will be denied access to the kind of remedial learning or enrichment provided by this program. Summer programs for elementary students will also become part of the District's extended year program (referred to in the Appendix as Summer Learning Opportunities). Classes will provide remedial assistance as well as enrichment activities. Special effort will be made to provide remedial assistance to students who are expected to have difficulty achieving 90 percent mastery -27- H I >1on the Arkansas Minimum Skills tests at grades 3, 6, and 8. The "sliding scale" fee system v/ill also be utilized here for parents unable to pay full tuition for summer school. The District v/ill also provide extensive services in guidance, counseling, and social work for students. Through a comprehensive program of diagnosis and prescription, the learning needs of students will be carefully identified and addressed. The Appendix beginning on page 130 describes these and other compensatory programs in more detail. A review of the secondary instructional program in the Pulaski County Special School District indicates that the curricula of the two districts are different in some respects. For example, the Little Rock School District foreign language program is more comprehensive than that of the Pulaski County Special School District. In the area of science, each district offers some courses not offered by the other. The Little Rock School District will review the curricula of both districts and, gleaning from the best of each, will develop a comprehensive program that will meet the needs of all students in the desegregated school District. The content and scope of the curriculum will exceed the requirements of the Arkansas Standards. Specialization in educational programs at the secondary level will also be provided, but not at the expense of sound. comprehensive programs of basic instruction. Here, as in the elementary schools, parents and students must be assured that their access to educational opportunity and programs of educational excellence is not dependent on their assignment to a particular school but rather upon the fact that they reside in the Little Rock School District. -28-T An emphasis on basic skills mastery will also pervade the District's secondary schools. At the same time comprehensiveness I, II 'll I. and balance in general education programs will be evident. Further, in order to keep students from being negatively impacted by increased secondary school requirements, programs to compensate for educational deficits and enhance mastery of basic skills will be provided to students. The increase in academic requirements resulting from the t reform movement has caused concern to some educators who believe that the current emphasis on the school's function to transmit knowledge is diminishing its ability to fulfill its human devel- opment function. This is a particular problem for the minority disadvantaged students who all too frequently leave our schools with very little chance for success in life. In the newly organized District special attention will be given to the holistic development of students that is so crucial for successful adulthood. Secondary schools will be designed and staffed so as to enhance learning and its application to life experiences for our young people. In the secondary schools of the Little Rock School District, the following characteristics will be evident: 1. A sense of purpose and mission are evident. Consensus regarding school goals is evident among the staff. A II collective ideology" pervades the school. 2. Expectations for student learning are clear and chal- lenging in a positive, supportive climate. 3. The curriculum is both balanced and comprehensive so as to address the needs of a diverse student body. -29- i. I i I I J 14. II Common Learnings" have been developed for all students in the school. C. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. A periodic review of the curriculum is built into the school's planning cycle. Ongoing programs of school based staff development are evident. A process of curriculum development (i.e., periodic redesign of the curriculum) is evident in each building. Opportunities for participation in extracurricular activities are evident and numerous. The principal is the obvious leader of the school. Comprehensive curricula at both elementary and secondary levels are the best means of ensuring equal distribution of stan- dardized, quality offerings across all schools in the District and providing for the diverse needs and interests of the stu- dents. A quality program for all students in the Little Rock School District will be the result. The annual cost of the compensatory programs discussed in this section is about $24 million dollars or approximately $2400 per student, small recompense for 300 years of victimization. More detailed information about specific compensatory programs is provided in the Appendix. SPECIAL SCHOOLS AND PROGRAMS Within the standard of equity, there is room for appropriate school level program specialization. Each of the District's schools will become communities of learning with distinctive specialized programs to meet the particular needs of its students . In the newly organized Little Rock School District, -30-1 'it specialization will be addressed in two ways: through the creation of a limited number of magnet schools and through school-based specialty programs. 1 1. Magnet Schools 1 I I I In the 1983 study Survey of Magnet Schools: Analyzing a Model for Quality Integrated Education, authors Rolf Blank, Robert A. Dentler, et al., concluded that "a magnet program can assist with improving urban education and increasing education options and choice.... (and) should be considered strongly as a model for excellence in urban education." The authors further stated, "Magnet programs have also shown positive effects on urban education by reducing community conflict over desegregation and voluntarily desegregating target schools. Districtwide desegregation has been significantly advanced through magnet schools in some districts where they are a part of a larger desegregation plan." (This document is the Final Report of a National Study for the U. S. Department of Education, released in September, 1983.) As the centerpiece of its desegregation plan, the Little Rock School District proposes that its three existing magnet schools be continued, with slight modifications, and that five new magnets be added. This section describes the magnet school programs and outlines criteria for enrollment. The Carver Basic Skills School, K-6 At the site presently occupied by Carver Elementary School, a new magnet school facility will be constructed which will accommodate an enrollment of 600 students in grades K-6. The magnet program at Carver II -31- a. 1 I 1 1will be modeled after the program at the Williams Basic Skills Magnet, a highly successful program now in its fourth year of operation. The Carver Basic Skills School will stress traditional instruction in reading, b. writing. grammar. spelling. mathematics, social studies, science, fine arts, and physical education. Attendance, proper behavior, and acceptable dress will be emphasized. The school will accommodate those who work best in a structured environment within self-contained classrooms with strong teacher-directed instruction. Academic competition will be essential to the program. The school will also stress tradi- tional American values such as patriotism, responsibility, pride, and respect for self and others. Homework will be part of the school requirements, and parent participation in school activities will be required. To be eligible for academic promotion and/or continuation at the Carver Basic Skills School, students must master targeted skills and concepts at specified levels, spend required time each night on assigned homework, complete all assignments according to specified time frames and adhere to specific rules and regulations concerning social behavior and dress. The Williams Basic Skills School, K-6 Presently serving 433 students in the Little Rock School District in grades 1-6, Williams will continue to function as a magnet under the new desegregation plan. In order not to disrupt services for students already at Williams, enrollment opportunities for -32-I students in all three Districts will be provided in kindergarten and first grade classes during the first year of reorganization and continued for each subse- quent year until all grade levels are open to students from all three Districts. The addition of a kindergarten class at Williams will be a modification of the existing program. The kindergarten program will stress academic readiness, and youngsters will follow li i 1 hl I I I i I I i c. the same rules and regulations as other students at Williams. Gillam Continuous Progress School For many children the typical grade organization in most schools is not conducive to identifying and rectifying developmental learning problems nor is it i! Ss II"! 'll 1' I' ,8 I'k I 1 I 1 I I . I I I 11 i! effective in enabling students to progress rapidly from one learning level to another. The design of the ti
Gillam Continuous Progress School will enable teachers to assess and diagnose individual students' needs and 11 learning styles and to plan and design specifically tailored learning programs for them. Instruction will M' ivl ll I be designed so that children can progress at their own rate and according to their own style. The Mastery Learning Model will form the basis of instruction. Si II ( Students will participate frequently in large and small group activities that require cooperative effort in I
'I achieving learning goals. Children in the Continuous I'' b h Progress School will experience neither promotion nor nonpromotion. Some students will be able to complete /111 I the seven-year program at Gillam in six years or less
-33- Iothers may require eight or more. The primary goal, however, will be for students to exit the school with confidence in themselves and belief in their ability to be successful learners. The Continuous Progress Program will be helpful to youngsters whose styles of learning make it difficult for them to achieve at a maximum level in a traditional setting. d. Booker Arts Magnet, K-6 Presently serving 517 students in grades 4-6, the Booker Arts Magnet has also been very effective. Under the District's proposed desegregation plan, Booker will become a K-6 school and will continue as an Arts Magnet. Initiated in 1983, the school provides a program in which the arts are used as a means to teach basic skills as well as to enhance the curriculum. Personal expression through various art forms is encouraged, and students are given opportunities to work in various artistic media such as visual art. music, dance, theater, and crafts. Instructional strategies assist children, through art, to improve their ability to perceive and interpret. Developing performing arts is not a goal of the program, and there are not different entrance criteria required for enrollment. Services provided by certified teachers are augmented by artists-in-residence. Interdisciplinary studies are an integral part of the instructional design of the Booker Arts Magnet. -34-e. Mann Science Magnet School, 7-9 For three years the Mann Science Magnet has functioned f. as a II school within a school" at Horace Mann Junior High School serving 300 of the school's total enrollment of 915 students. An intensive academic program in science and languages is provided. Students are required to complete two science courses each year. They may complete up to three years of German before going on to high school, and French and Spanish are also taught. Seventh grade students are required to take a course called Study Skills which emphasizes such topics as note-taking, the development of listening skills, test-taking skills, and library research skills. Students are required to complete one major scientific investigation each year culminating in a science fair each spring. Guest lecturers in science are a regular part of the program as are weekend camping events and extended day field trips. Under the Little Rock School District's desegregation plan. the Mann Science Magnet will extend to the entire school and will serve approximately 915 students. East Side Magnet for Visual and Performing Arts, 7-9 In order to continue a program of learning for junior high students who exhibit interest, talent, and ability in the visual and performing arts, a magnet school will be established at the East Side building located at Fourteenth and Scott. The East Side Arts Magnet will provide instruction in vocal and instrumental music. dance, visual arts, drama, and creative writing. -35- i! I) I' JI a II Sit I! I I I I I 1 I 11g. Courses in pottery, photography, ceramics, painting. dance, drawing, sculpture, and printmaking will be taught either at the school or at the nearby Arkansas Arts Center. Artists-in-residence will enrich and expand instruction. Interdisciplinary studies will be a vital part of the instructional design of the school. and the arts will be used as a means for enhancing instruction in basic content areas. Opportunities for youngsters to exhibit their work and to perform will be incorporated into the program. Music, art, and dance lessons for individual students will be taught as part of the Magnet's extended day program. Parkview School of Visual and Performing Arts, 10-12 A comprehensive program of visual and performing arts will be provided for high school students who exhibit interest, talent, and ability in these areas. The curriculum will be designed to develop students' potential as creators and workers within the various art disciplines and supporting vocations. Specialized studies in the arts combined with a solid academic program in basic and advanced curricula will provide excellent preparation for students who wish to pursue training at advanced institutions as well as those who wish to pursue professional careers following high school graduation. The goals for the school are: (1) to nurture inquiring minds in the pursuit of artistic interests
(2) to provide a comprehensive academic program -36-( emphasizing the arts both as separate courses and as a means for enhancing instruction in other areas
(3) to instruct students in an atmosphere conducive to the development of creative pursuits and critical thinking
and (4) to address the relationship of the arts to academic training, vocational opportunities, and personal development. h. Central Senior Classical School, 10-12 At historic Central High School, a magnet program for senior high students will offer rigorous curricula in basic content areas, the humanities, and foreign languages. The school's foreign language department will provide for extensive study in French, Spanish, German, Latin, and Classical Greek. Students who have begun their foreign language study at the junior high level will be able to receive up to six years of instruction in at least two languages. Courses in the humanities will also be provided, as will courses in sociology and philosophy. At Central, academic competition will be stressed. Students will be given opportunities to pursue independent study and scien- ' I tific inquiry and research. Guest lecturers and scholars from the academic community will address students on current issues and events, philosophical issues, and critical social questions. i -37-2. Costs for Magnet Schools To ready the eight buildings for implementation of the respective magnet programs will require one-time expenditures of about $12.7 million for construction, renovation, and outfitting. The annual operating costs for the magnet programs will total about $14.1 million. 3. Enrollment Criteria for Magnet Schools In all magnet schools the racial composition will be fifty percent black and fifty percent non-black. A specific number of the seats in all magnet schools will be reserved for students who live in the shadow (neighborhood) of the school. Students from all three school districts may then apply for the remaining slots in the magnets. The slots allocated for each school district will be based on its student racial population. Selections will be made through a lottery. 4. Specialty Programs In the newly organized District, all schools will meet the needs of their student populations through special programs. Each school will host a distinctive program for its students, while at the same time maintaining a high standard of quality in its basic educational program. These distinctive programs will enhance each school and will be attractive features for parents to consider as they select the schools they would like for their children to attend. Some of the specialty programs are described below: a. Computer Science: Schools with this specialty will have fully equipped computer laboratories for use in -38-basic skills instruction, the development of critical thinking skills, and computer language instruction. b. Law and Government: Law education programs and oppor- tunities for students to participate actively in governmental processes will be the basic elements of this program. c. Outdoor Education: In this program the regular cur- riculum will be enriched and supplemented through H activities in the "Outdoor Classroom. Students will learn through the discovery method and will develop skills in observation and investigation. Ecological and environmental issues and their relationship to quality of life will be explored as students develop aesthetic appreciation for the wonders of nature. d. World Studies: The study of languages and other 1 cultures and an increase in understanding and appreciation of the people of other cultures will be the basic elements of this specialty program. e. Economic Education: Schools with this program will I (
offer students comprehensive instruction in economic education and finance through teacher-developed. I I interdisciplinary units of study, careers. Junior Achievement, Project Business, and Applied Economics. f. Community-Based Learning: Through this program stu- dents will study careers and serve "internships" in local businesses, industries, and service agencies. Community service projects will be a part of this program and a number of service hours will be required of students each year. -39-g. High-Tech Program: This program will offer senior high students a laboratory program with a "high tech" flavor. The goals will be to develop student compe- tence in scientific and technical applications, skill in the use of standard laboratory techniques, familiarity with the instrumentation of science, and skill in the use of the scientific method to investigate h. selected problems. Vocational-Technical Career Preparation Program: Students will receive intensive training in vocational courses through enrollment at Metropolitan and in their home schools. Intensive skill development will be stressed and career guidance will be provided. Speech, Drama, and Writing Center: Focusing on "commu- nications arts," schools with this program will provide opportunities for students to write, speak, and per- form. A "Speakers and Writers" program will provide for presentation and critique of student work. Writers-in-Residence will assist students in the composing process and critique their work. j- Music and Art Center: This program will give students i. opportunities to explore their interests and develop their talents in music and art. Opportunities for individual music and art lessons will be provided for students in this program. k. Physical Development Center: This program will give students opportunities to develop skill in physical activities and creative movement. Various lifetime sports such as golf, archery, swimming, tennis, and -40-riflery will be available to students. Individual ,1' competition and individual achievement will be stressed. I 5. 6. Mass Media
Intensive training will be provided for aspiring print and broadcast journalists through this specialty program. Classes will include television. film production, journalism, and photography. These are descriptions of specialty programs which will be provided as a way to provide choices to parents in the selection of their child's school. Other specialty programs will be added in response to identified needs of the community, and these programs can be modified as necessary to serve more effectively the students and parents of the Little Rock School District. Costs for Specialty Programs This array of program enhancements will require an annual expenditure of approximately $2.1 million dollars over and above the regular operating costs of the schools in which they are sited. Metropolitan Vocational-Technical Education Center Since 1965, Metropolitan has served students in central Arkansas as an area vocational-technical education center. For most of those years it has been underenrolled. The District has not taken advantage of the exceptional educational opportunities or met the exceptional needs presented by the diversified and expanding economy of the area. For instance, local planning data revealed projected labor demands for 735 workers in health occupations in 1983, yet only 3C students completed the very small health occupations -41- J i! i j. I I 1. t I ( I I I t u1 course at Metropolitan Vocational-Technical School. The Little Rock-Pulaski County area is also a major transportation center for both rail and river transport
a center of government
a legal and financial center
a military center
and, potentially, a high-technology center. Present vocational/career offerings at Metropolitan and area high schools do not adequately prepare students to enter these fields. Such lack of career training opportunities in the public schools is harmful for all students, as well as for the regional economy, but it is particularly damaging for black students, who typically suffer from grave inequities in employment opportunities. To correct this inequity, the District wi 11 establish highly specialized a vocational/technical school at its existing Metropolitan Vocational/Technical Education Center. High demand specialty vocational/technical programs will be concentrated at Metropolitan, supported by an academic curriculum for these specialty programs at Hall High School. The Metropolitan-Hall program will comprise the District's "high tech" specialty program. Such courses as Computer Programming, Computer Technology, Word Processing, Computer Aided Drafting, Computer Graphics, Printing Technology, and Electronics are among those which will be offered at Metropolitan. Although the Metropolitan-Hall program will become the District's high tech" program, enrollment will not be limited to Hall students. Metropolitan's designation by the state as an area center means that it must serve students M from its geographic area. Under the District's new -42-E 1 7. desegregation plan an "extended day" program will enhance the accessibility of Metropolitan to students. Students from high schools throughout the District will be able to enroll in these courses. A pilot "extended day" program was initiated in January, 1986, with over 125 students choosing to take courses at Metropolitan from 3:00 to 5:00 p,m. each day. These students are coming from all three of the District's high schools. In sum. Metropolitan will become a center that attracts students of both races to high-interest vocational/technical programs. The District's comprehensive high schools should maintain vocational courses traditionally in keeping with a comprehensive curriculum. These courses will be withdrawn from Metropolitan to avoid excessive duplication of services and leave Metropolitan free to concentrate exclusively on highly specialized offerings. Program Specialization and the Issue of Equity The programs described here do not preclude spe- cialization in course offerings within schools or even between schools. However, differentiation in quality between schools (or specialization/differentiation in offerings that is extreme) is precluded. Equity suggests that parents and students can see the possibility of obtaining an education of equal quality in any of the schools within the District. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that each school in the District must afford its student the same level of opportunity for growth and development as any other school in the District, regardless of where it is -43- I I 1 I li I 1'. I I 1 I- I I I ID. located, which students populate it, and which programs characterize it. EQUITY IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM There are certain key areas of the educational program in which inequities are especially prone to occur unless care is taken to avoid and correct them. These in essence involve special challenges in balancing common and specialized offerings so that each student has access to education appropriate to meet his or her needs and interests. These will include grouping students for instruction
curricular focus
distribution of school staff and resources
testing practices
student promotion policies
and compensatory instruction and support for students having academic difficulty. Unless care is taken, these areas can become sources of grave inequity for black students. For instance, grouping practices can be used -- wittingly or unwittingly -- to re-segregate black students within schools and even to isolate them within racially mixed classrooms. Testing practices are often used to "prove" that such treatment is pedagogically necessary, while promotion policies compound the inequity by creating revolving doors for minorities out of desirable academic programs and services. Similarly, the curric- ular focus for black students may be "different" (e.g., less challenging and comprehensive) than for non-blacks, and compensa- tory/support services for students in academic difficulty -- who are often disproportionately black -- may be severely inadequate. The latter area is of special importance, for it is prima facie inequitable to fail to provide necessary remediation and support to students who have been socially and educationally deprived as a consequence of segregative practices, past or present. -44-The District's plan for a desegregated school district specifically addresses each of these areas of special programmatic concerns at elementary, junior high, and senior high levels. Issues and methods of ensuring equity are discussed below for each of these three school levels. I I I 1. Elementary (K-6): Students in the elementary grades will be grouped for instruction using techniques that will be flexible yet sound to ensure that instructional needs are met and that the goals of desegregation are facilitated. The core curriculum will be sufficiently narrow to allow the maximum amount of time necessary for instruction in reading. I.. 'p I k 1 language arts, math, and social studies in the primary grades. Science, music, and art will be added in the I I I I intermediate grades. All schools will be staffed based upon a predetermined teacher-pupil ratio which will meet or exceed the Arkansas state Standards. Each school will receive funds for supplies, equipment, and textbooks based upon a formula that will provide an equitable foundation across the Little Rock School District. Proficiency testing to measure academic progress and predetermined levels of mastery will be implemented in grades 3 and 6, consistent with the state Standards which call for this procedure. An established policy and regu- lations will be used to govern and to guide decisions for promotion. Social promotions will be discouraged. Support services will be provided to students in need of additional time to master instructional objectives. A telephone hotline and homework centers will operate after school and in the District's extended day program. -45- 'I I 1 ( I I I2. Federal and state dollars provided for compensatory education will be used to supplement the local efforts to fund education. The major priority will continue to be the improvement of reading and math skills in the elementary grades. Inservice training will continue, to the end of reducing and ultimately eliminating the need to pull participating youngsters out of established classrooms for remediation. A student record system will be utilized. The system will have the capability of generating data by child, by class, by school, by race, and by sex. Levels of student mastery from proficiency test results, as well as inventories on reading and math conducted by independent audi- tors, will complement the system. Such a system permits the principal, superintendent, and board an cppcrtunitj' to be informed regarding the major effect of the instructional program. All schools will be expected to be effective learning environments for all students. Each school will be expected to ensure that 90 percent of its regular students meet the required level of mastery in all subjects. Junior High (7-9): Two levels of instruction will be provided in the junior high school--regular for students who need to meet the expectations for grade-level performance. and honors for students who have evidenced success above the minimum-performance expectations. Heterogeneous grouping will be the primary practice of organizing students for learning. The curricular foci will be: language arts. social studies, math, science, physical education, health -46-i J education, practical arts, music, art, and career orien- tation. [ hl In the junior high school, the students' compe- tencies in these subject areas will be solidified. Also, i'J the setting will provide students an opportunity to experience the diversity and complexity of formal education. is 1 I Testing will be conducted for diagnostic purposes and measurement of academic achievement. At each grade level. j all students will be tested using a locally developed criterion-referenced test. The results of this test will I used be to diagnose instructional needs of students and to build prescriptions for learning. Consistent with state Standards, another test to be developed by the state Department of Education will be used to measure achievement in grade 8 in order to help assess readiness for promotion to grade 9. Students who do not achieve a passing score will not be promoted to grade 9. As a strategem to maintain and improve school holding power, 10-20 percent of seventh grade students who show early signs of possible failure will be identified for participation in a specially designed guidance project. All students will have access to the homework hotline, homework centers, summer school, and tutors to assist them in meeting the academic requirements of the District. Special educa- I) I" r i tion and related services will be available as the need is determined. All schools will be expected to be effective learning I i I 1 I I environments for all students. Each school will be expected to ensure that 90 percent of its students will meet the required level of mastery in all subjects. -d7_ 1,3. Senior High (10-12): The experiences in the senior high schools will be organized to build upon those provided at the elementary and junior high school levels. Focus and sense of purpose will be pervasive characteristics of the climate. Two levels of instruction will provided: regular and honors. These will not be academic tracks to which any student is destined to stay for his/her entire school experience but rather beginning placements that best match the instructional needs that have been determined by observation, classroom performance, and standardized tests. Further, it is not necessary for a student whose placement is honors English or honors math to enroll in all honors courses as would be required in an academic tracking system. Under our method students who demonstrate a high level of ability in one subject but less ability in another will be able to enroll in courses appropriate for their needs. Schools will develop goals and plans for closing gaps in academic performance between races of students. A monitoring system will be established to audit the implementation of these goals and plans to determine their effectiveness . Parents will be involved in a substantive manner in the planning of student schedules and helping to determine the scope and depth of their academic pursuits. Periodic conferences will be held. Computer-generated reports regarding attendance, behavior, and academic performance will be provided. Specialized guidance activities and peer tutoring will be used in an effort to hold the students in school and to help them succeed. -48-The 90 percent standard for achievement will also be implemented at the high school level. Also, the 10-20 percent of a school's student body showing signs of failure will be identified and will participate in special projects designed to prevent them from dropping out or being "pushed out" of school. Academic standards will be the major criterion for par- ticipation in extra- and co-curricular activities. A reasonable but challenging standard that is inclusive will be used. To graduate, each student will successfully earn at least 20 units of credit. E. CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES Co-curricular activities in schools have taken on an importance nearly equal to that of the academic curriculum. Prior to this century, little attention was given to student activities. but today parents and students expect their school to provide a broad-based, co-curricular program. According to the American College Testing Survey of 1977, II The single most common characteristic among successful people is that they were involved in student activities at school." Organized student activities are a vital component of the student's training and preparation for participation in a democratic form of government. Co-curricular activities include: student government. student publications, drama, music, academic and service clubs. sports, intramurals, cheerleading, school assemblies, and other special-interest groups. The student body, local community. faculty, and administration would determine the need for these and other activities, but they are provided to meet the multiple -49-needs and interests students bring to school and expect to have met. The primary goal of a co-curricular program should be to involve all students. Exclusion of any student or group of students from these activities could diminish their zest for school and block the possibility of having some of their impor- I tant needs and interests met. Moreover, since these clubs and organizations tend to function as small-scale democracies, those excluded would lose the opportunity of being inculcated with the fundamental norms and values of the larger society. To highlight the importance of co-curricular activities in the growth and development of young people, a composite of the objectives of such programs shows they are generally designed to help them: 0 Learn how to use constructively whatever unique talents and skills they may have
0 Develop new vocational and recreational interests and skills
0 Develop a more positive attitude toward the value of avocational and recreational activities
0 Increase knowledge and skill in functioning as a leader and/or member of a group
0 Develop a more positive attitude toward school through participation based on free choice. Problems of major proportions have developed in desegregating school districts because co-curricular activities remained the exclusive preserve of white students although student reassignment procedures desegregated the student population in other ways. In most of these instances, school officials have -50-T contended that there was no segregative intent on their part, and that traditional election or selection procedures rendered the results. There certainly is no equity, however, in results that exclude students who qualify for participation but cannot join in because of traditional procedures they had no part in establish- 'I ing. Procedures must be established which ensure that each student has a fair and equitable opportunity to engage in co-curricular activities. Color blindness cannot be an option. Such an option usually speaks to oper elections, but such would be folly and would greatly disadvantage most -- if not all -- minority students because of their low percentage of participation in relationship to majority students. Initially, procedures for participation in co-curricular activities must be designed to guarantee proportional involvement i
I of minority students. Race, thus, becomes a criterion for membership in clubs and organizations just as it is for student assignment in the schools and the reorganization of the District. The same equity imperative prevails here. It is consistent with the whole desegregation reorganization process. Operationally, this means a set of procedures which reserves slots for minority student participants in proportion to their membership in the school. For example, if in a given school 40 percent of the student population is black, then 40 percent of the band would be black. The same would be true of all clubs and organizations connected with the school. Unclaimed slots, if I I I I I 1 1 1 I I I 1 any, would at a designated time be released and made available to the general student body. Over time, there could be a gradual relaxation of the II reserve slot" rule as students and staff -51- Jmembers become fully acquainted and the school demonstrates it has the ability to establish and foster equity in its co-curricular program. Not all co-curricular groups should be expected to yield racially balanced student members under this remedial policy. The aim of the policy is not racial balance
it is to remedy at all points the effects of racially biased opportunities for program participation. Some groups will evolve very different mixes based on year-to-year variations in interests and abil- ities. Others have participation criteria that are based solely on objective criteria of a technical or academic nature. Each school must operate the bulk of its co-curricular activities in a way that gives extra encouragement to black students, however, until such time as programmatic conditions have been truly co-equalized. We expect this will take the average school about three years to accomplish. One of the barriers to participation in co-curricular activities has to do with lack of access to transportation after school hours. To overcome this barrier, after-school transportation will be provided for students on an as-needed basis to ensure that all students can participate in extracurricular programs. In this area so vital to student life and conduct, the school has an affirmative duty to make certain that each student has an opportunity for full participation. Where students are reluctant, they should be encouraged. Where students are fearful, they should have their doubts removed. Where students feel unwanted, they should be made to feel welcome. Nothing can replace the affirmative efforts of faculty and administrators in -52- T I I I IF. assuring that each student becomes an integral part of the school and its activities. PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN It is clear from the research that the learning resources in the homes of students can significantly affect their achievement in school. Parent encouragement and support of students are also significantly related to student motivation and achievement. Further, parents can have a large impact on student learning through providing direct assistance in the instructional process at home. The need to develop programs to involve parents in the education of their children is particularly important in the Little Rock School District where large numbers of students are not only disadvantaged but also come from homes where many parents have themselves been educated in a racially dual system. Research findings also indicate that home-based reinforcement programs and the direct involvement of parents in their children's education result in more effective compensatory educational programs. Consequently, the Little Rock School District will implement several strategies to increase parental involvement in schools and in home-supported educational activities for children. Among these will be staff development programs which will assist teachers, counselors, and administrators in eliciting support and involvement from parents and in providing them with strategies and guidance for working with their children at home. In addition, home-based reinforcement programs for students with chronic academic or behavioral problems will be established. Parents will be provided training to help their children cope with -53- Jdifficulties at school and to reinforce behavioral expectations and academic learning at home. 6. PREPARING FOR THE CHANGE The full desegregation of the Little Rock School District will require careful planning and preparation for change in three critical program areas if it is to succeed: 0 Reviewing and revising curriculum to include 0 0 multi-ethnic components
Establishing equality of educational opportunity with equity in educational outcomes
and Designing and implementing appropriate staff develop- ment. These areas are often neglected in desegregation planning (and implementation). Such neglect seriously weakens the entire desegregation effort and contributes to the disenchantment and disaffection of parents, teachers, students, and administrators of all racial groups involved. Therefore, we include as part of this plan the equity standard of careful preparation for change in each of three areas as discussed below. 1 A Curriculum for Multi-Ethnic Inclusiveness What happens or does not happen after students are assigned and arrive makes the difference between legal and operational desegregation. Two critical elements in whether operational desegregation is achieved in schools are the curriculum and the readiness of teachers for desegregation. Teachers are an integral part of the curriculum. They breathe life into the paradigms, theories, and concepts which comprise the printed curriculum. Their knowledge -54-about cultural and ethnic diversity is a prerequisite to their instructional effectiveness and responsiveness to cultural differences in desegregated classrooms. Respect and appreciation for cultural differences derive from understanding, and real understanding is based upon valid information about the cultural patterns, values, habits, and experiences of different ethnic groups. The United States and Little Rock are multi-ethnic. multi-cultural, and multi-racial, and the curriculum components of the schools will reflect this diversity. Several approaches can be taken to reach this goal. Some have suggested that modifications be made in the instructional program which follow these guidelines: a. Review present curriculum materials and replace mate- rial that does not respond to the perspectives of minorities. b. Evaluate curriculum materials to determine that material relating to minority and majority groups is presented in a manner that is integrated from a logical, conceptual, and societal point of view. Specific units on the desegregation of the Little Rock School District will be developed and incorporated into the social studies curriculum for junior and senior high students. These units will address the history of desegregation in this community, the reason for the design of the current plan, and its significance to students everywhere. c. Review potential multi-ethnic curriculum materials to identify cultural assumptions, biases, and stereotypes. -55-J d. Create and take advantage of opportunities for instruc- tional projects that involve minority and majority students working together in situations that deal openli' with race and that reinforce equal status and mutual respect. Others have suggested that teachers should be helped to develop repertoires for diversified multi-ethnic teaching examples. Examples, anecdotes, analogies, and vignettes can be used to increase educational relevance by relating academic abstractions to daily living. Teachers whose instructional examples are comprised of anecdotal illustrations from many different ethnic experiences are effective advocates of cultural pluralism. They are living examples of culturally pluralistic functioning. We assert that the curriculum in the desegregated school District must not be mono-cultural. The racial end ethnic make-up of the District should influence the multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, and multi-racial components which are integral parts of the curriculum in all the schools. 2. Equity in Educational Outcomes A recent report. Taking Education's Pulse, which reflects the results of the 13th annual Gallup Poll of the public's attitudes toward the public schools, indicated that only 60 percent of blacks (as opposed to 82 percent of whites) feel that they are given equal educational opportunities . It appears that equity in education is chimerical in the perception of 40 percent of the black population. -56-Research demonstrates that equality of educational opportunity with equity in educational outcomes does not just happen. Planning and program construction, with equity as a goal, must precede the possibility of achieving equal- ity of educational opportunity. IJ I Racial discrimination clearly persists in any school -- even one which claims to be desegregated -- where black students are suspended or expelled more frequently 11 ,1 than non-blacks
where teachers become divided racially and conflict rather than cooperate with one another
where 90 percent or more of the students assigned to special education or basic skills classes are black
where ability grouping or tracking results in racial isolation
where black student withdrawal rates exceed the average
or where black students are not encouraged to take advantage of college or job-market opportunities. All or some of these indications of continuing racism crop up whenever planning. implementation, and monitoring are deficient. We are concerned with school outcomes which show that a full measure of equity is accorded all students who attend the desegregated schools in the Little Rock School District. ' i' ,1 ! 1 1' The following eight principles shall serve as the guideposts to help these schools and this District ensure that equity outcomes are both possible and probable. The principles are
Students are assured that they are able to aspire to every adult role in the community and that no restrictions according to race obtain in these roles. -57- Ji a. I I ? I I I h I 5I 3. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. Students are taught by teachers who have been trained to teach in integrated schools. Teachers are dedicated to the principle of integrated education and regard service in integrated schools as a career and not a stepping-stone to mono-racial schools. Every child in the school is given access to his/her full measure of the instructional resources of the school. Racial fairness fully obtains in grading and disci-pline. Co-curricular activities affirmatively involve many children and youth at every level
race or ethnicity are never factors which preclude this involvement. There is open and easy access to the services of the guidance program. Students are guaranteed the right to an education in an atmosphere free of debilitating rhetoric and publicity. Cooperative Programs Cooperation among the three districts has occurred informally for many years. The opportunity now presented to participate in recognized cooperative ventures can only strengthen each district's ability to provide an equitable. effective educational program for its students. The Little Rock School District proposes that a formal structure for cooperative program development and the delivery of services be established and that the Magnet Review Committee mandated by the Eighth Circuit Court be established as part of this comprehensive, cooperative effort. -58- a. The LRSD-PCSSD-NLRSD Educational Cooperative In order to prevent the recurrence of interdistrict segregative effects within the three districts of Pulaski County, the Little Rock School District proposes the establishment of an educational cooperative modeled after the fifteen other regional coopera- tives funded by the state. The state has funded fifteen regional educational cooperatives to provide services to local districts within identified geographic areas. Staff development, distribution of audiovisual resources, "teacher center" activities, and purchasing are among the services provided by the cooperatives. The Little Rock School District proposes that a cooperative be established for the three districts in Pulaski County in order that cooperative ventures can be explored. An Interdistrict Planning Committee, v/ith representatives from each district. wi 11 comprise the Board for the LRSD-PCSSD-NLRSD Cooperative. The Little Rock School District proposes that within the structure of the Cooperative, the three districts pursue the establishment of a single millage rate in Pulaski County and the joint development of proposals for special grant or project funds. Through Metroplan, common purchasing already exists. However, the District is eager to explore joint bidding procedures, to search for other ways to make joint purchasing procedures more efficient, and to explore the coordination of millage campaigns, marketing of revenue -59-I bonds, and comirion audit and accounting procedures. The District also proposes that joint operation of transportation and food services and personnel recruitment be seriously explored by the Cooperative Board. In order to facilitate interdistrict transfers, it will be necessary for the three districts to develop similar grade structures, grading, attendance, and discipline policies. These issues can also be addressed through the Cooperative Board. b. The Magnet Review Committee (1) Composition: The District proposes that the Magnet Review Committee reflect so far as possible the composition of the magnets themselves with regard to race and sex. Assuming that the race and sex composition of the magnets is fifty percent male and fifty percent female, as well as fifty percent black and fifty percent non-black. the appointments to the Magnet Review Committee should be as follows: Little Reck Black/Female Pulaski County Non-black/Male North Little Rock Black/Male Arkansas Department Nor-black/Female of Education Black/Male In this way both race and sex considerations are equitably considered in the composition of the Magnet Review Committee. -60-(2) Term of Office: It is proposed that the members draw for terms of two or three years and that three of the five members serve three year terms and two of the members serve two year terms. (3) Appointment: The governing Boards of the three districts and the state Department should appoint the members of the Magnet Review Committee, subject to the approval of the District Court. (4) Duties: The Magnet Review Committee's duties are described as selecting and recommending location of magnets to the district court and "administering" them, i.e., providing general oversight as to their effectiveness and recommending changes in location or program to the local districts and to the Court. In keeping with the Order of the Court the Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the District Court, advising the Court as to the placement, design, program. and enrollment of magnet schools. Such advice will be the result of careful data gathering and hearings to ascertain community opinion. (5) Rules: The Committee will follow accepted parliamentary procedures in its deliberations. In the case of a three to two decision in issues to be presented to the Court, the two dissenting members shall write opinions explaining wherein they differ from the majority. -61-H. STAFF DEVELOPMENT We have alluded to the need for staff preparation for desegregation in a previous section. When teachers and administrators are assigned or reassigned to schools with heterogeneous rather then homogeneous student bodies, they are sometimes perplexed and do not know how to interact appropriately with their new students and colleagues. There are even times when teachers and administrators are infected with prejudice and racism, and these twin evils make them major problems in desegregated school settings because they are unable to interact. respond, and participate in a positive way with black students and colleagues. Evidence can be gleaned from desegregated school districts that desegregation is a workable and manageable change process if the staff is well prepared for it. "Staff" is interpreted to mean all of the employees of the school district, including administrators, teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custo- dians, security workers, etc. Written and verbal reports from desegregated school districts such as Louisville, Kentucky
Wilmington, Delaware
Dayton and Columbus, Ohio
Nashville, Tennessee
Indianapolis, Indiana
and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, all confirm the crucial need to help school employees: 0 recognize the nature of the change taking place
0 0 understand what new expectations are being placed upon them
develop the skills and perspectives they need to function effectively in the new setting
and 0 know that they have an affirmative duty to assure that all their behavior supports, rather than subverts, the -62-u desegregation process. A caveat burden rests on the shoulders of adult personnel, not students. Staff development in the Little Rock School District cannot be effective if it is designed to be a one-shot effort. To be effective, it must be carefully planned and continued over a period of time. It must address the varying stages of development and the individual needs and concerns of adult learners. With this in mind, we think that staff development activities should be comprised of three critical components
1) a local focus
2) concrete, goal-directed, on-going training
and 3) on-site or adaptive planning with regular, frequent staff meetings. All school employees should be involved in staff development activities. They should have -- in addition to the three compo- nents above -- three distinct phases: 1) pre-desegregation activities
2) transition-period activities
and 3) sustained or continuing activities. Using one school as an example, the three-phase approach to staff development might take place as follows: 1. Pre-desegregation Activities Teachers should be given a thorough orientation to the total desegregation plan by the principal. In staffs newly formed in annexed schools, this orientation will be critical as a fundamental part of establishing the II culture" and mission of the school. In magnet schools a. extensive staff training will be necessary to enable teachers and administrators to function at optimum effectiveness. -63-b. Mandatory workshops should be implemented to assess and deal with attitudes and more effective interactions with colleagues and students. c. The principal should mobilize resources for (a) group interaction and (b) orientation programs for staff, students, and parents. 2. d. e. f. g- The principal should meet with all staff persons and explain the implications of the desegregation plan for each job and person. The principal acts as a point of contact so that teachers have an immediate response to questions or can be referred to appropriate sources of information. The principal should attend workshops and participate in professional growth activities which will deal with communications, educational innovations, program implementation, and interpersonal relationships. Some of these will be provided through the District's Program for Effective Building Leadership (PEBL) which consists of preservice and inservice training for school administrators. The principal should maintain personal contact with staff, students, and community. Transition Period Activities a. The principal should establish ad hoc committees to: (a) assist with communication
(b) deal with rumors
(c) develop plans for crisis situations
and (d) identify and solve problems. b. Mandatory workshops from pre-desegregation activities will be continued through PEBL and other District -64-c. 3. inservice programs to re-define immediate problems, ideas, and solutions. Teachers will receive training in such areas as learn- ing styles, implementing cooperative learning, effective instructional strategies in heterogeneous classrooms, implementing a multi-cultural curriculum. classroom management, and assertive discipline. Sustained or Continuing Activities e. Provision must be made for regular, mandatory orien- tation programs for new employees. b. Continuous staff development activities must be carried out related to: (a) instructional strategies and materials
(b) learning styles
(c) multi-cultural education
(d) student-teacher relations
(e) schoolparent relations
(f) classroom management
and (g) identified needs and problems. c. Committees made up of staff, students, and parents must be formed to continue to direct the efforts of the school toward successful, quality, integrated educa- tion, i.e.. continuous, on-the-spot professional d. e. growth. Provisions must be made for continuous development of activities to: (a) maintain or improve relationships with peers and staff
(b) develop leadership
(c) identify problems and seek assistance
and (d) develop pride in self and school. Teachers will be required to enroll in a specified number of "continuing education" courses each year so that they can remain familiar with current trends and -65-issues as they affect teaching performance in a desegregated school setting. Design of such a program of staff development cannot wait. Rather, design and planning for this program must be one of the first agenda items for planning the implementation phase of desegregation. will be created. Therefore, a Staff Development Task Force This task force shall be given the mandate and resources to plan a comprehensive, districtwide program, and its activities should have preeminence and visibility so that all may understand that staff development is crucial to the success of this desegregation plan. I. LINKAGES 1. Community Linkages The reorganized Little Rock School District will maintain in some cases and develop in others many strong linkages with the non-school institutions and agencies of the city, the county, the state, and the nation. In the reorganized District, these linkages will be intensified. Stronger and better partnerships between the new school system, the metropolitan-area community, and the state will build public confidence, cooperation, parent participation. and faith in desegregation. The resulting assistance in improving the quality of public instruction will work to equalize access to improved opportunities for students. This section provides a revised inventory of those linkages. Unification of linkage activities will be part of the mandate of the Board and administration. -66-a. College Linkages There are two four-year institutions of higher education in Pulaski County that provide necessary support to public elementary and secondary education. One is Philander Smith College, a traditionally black institution, and the other is the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the University of Arkansas System's metropolitan campus. Through the years. cooperation has occurred in program development and implementation with these institutions. These insti- tutions will be asked to provide assistance in desegregation workshops in the area of human relations skills and instructional strategies. The Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District will be invited to participate in these programs and activities. 0 In-service Training: The faculties of both 0 institutions have cooperated in training efforts impacting the District, including the Program for Effective Teaching. The reorganized District will move to formalize and structure these relationships so that all affected institutions will receive maximum benefits from resources fostering instructional improvement, better human relations. and greater parent participation. Advanced Degrees: The University offers advanced degrees in education. The University's adminis- tration and the administration of the reorganized District will implement a cooperative arrangement -67-so that the University Programs will address fully the instructional needs of a highly desegregated urban school district. b. Cultural Linkages After District reorganization, the Arts in Education Advisory Council must be expanded to include a more diverse membership. The membership will be expanded to provide representation from the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District. The identified charge will be revised to widen responsibility for programs and services currently provided. Examples of these ser- vices include the Arkansas Arts Center and its subsidiary Children's Theatre, the Arkansas Opera Theatre, and the Arkansas Symphony. All appropriate schools. 2. including those in the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District, will be beneficiaries of this expanded cultural link- age. These cooperative programs will also enhance desegregation and parent participation. Commercial and Industrial Linkages As a result of being located in the commercial center of the state, the District has capitalized on linkages with businesses, industries, and trade organizations. Some of those relationships and plans for extending them are as follows: Partners in Education: The Little Rock School District presently has a program in which businesses or organizations establish a helping relationship with specific -68- 00 schools. This program will be expanded to ensure that all schools in the reorganized District will have a partner. Also, through collaboration with the Pulaski County Special School District, the North Little Rock School District, and the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce, an interdistrict approach to school/community partnerships will be developed to strengthen the relationship between the three districts and the Greater Little Rock community. Chamber of Commerce: The Greater Little Rock Chamber of Commerce presently includes the cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock. Also, the Chamber's Education Committee, Board, and membership assist and cooperate with the three districts in activities ranging from millage campaigns and special studies to daily, general promotion of the school systems in their industrial development activities. The Chamber has even formed a partnership with the Area Vocational-Technical School. After the new District is established, efforts will be directed at expanding the relationship. 0 Vocational Education Advisory Committee: Membership will be extended to include representatives from businesses throughout the county, and the charge will be revised to county-wide responsibility for what is now a series of three separate efforts. 3. Governmental Linkages As the largest metropolitan center in Arkansas, Pulaski County's governmental structure contains a number of -69-intergovernmental relationships that are essential to orderly delivery of goods and services. This intergovernmental cooperation cuts across all agencies. including state, county, and city. Illustrative examples of governmental cooperation, with recommendations for extending them, are as follows
a. Law-Related Education: The Little Rock School District has implemented this program and, as a result, there exists a cooperative interchange between the criminal justice system in the Little Rock area and the District. A means for systematically utilizing the resources of the justice system will be cooperatively developed with the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District. b. The City of Little Rock: In order for the District to be effective, it is necessary for a number of cooperative arrangements to evolve between the city and the District. follow. Significant examples of these arrangements All of the District's schools participate in the Little Rock Police Department's Crime Prevention Program
there is cooperation with the city's planning department in a number of instances (for example, new school construction)
the employment of school crossing guards is a final example of city-district cooperation. With the advent of the reorganized District, all efforts will be made to develop a Tri-Governmental Council (Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Pulaski County) to deal with city government issues affecting schools in the Little Rock School District, the North -70-Little Rock School District, and the Pulaski County Special School District. c. Metroplan: This organization, supported financially by an aggregate of local governments, offers a variety of services, including planning projections and population data. Also, Metroplan provides an opportunity for the Little Rock School District, the Pulaski County Special School District, and the North Little Rock School District to work together in planning sites for new schools and potential school use of Central Arkansas Transit System (CAT). 4. Miscellaneous Linkages Many of the community linkages which are available to the District and that are essential to its excellence cannot be placed easily into any of the previous linkage categories. Therefore, the "Miscellaneous II category is included. Cooperation is very easy in some cases because, by mandate. districts are required to have them
a case in point is the Chapter 1 Parent Advisory Council. Where there is an absence of legal requirement to maintain a linkage (e.g Friends of KLRE), it is strongly recommended that the new District take administrative steps to keep them operable. A representative listing of "Miscellaneous Linkages" follows: a. Rockefeller Foundation: Currently, the District submits funding applications to the Foundation on an ongoing basis. Previously, the Foundation funded part of the operations of the Little Rock District's educational television channel, Channel 19. The channel has been an important source of information to the -71-1 community concerning desegregation-related issues. The Foundation has also funded a special proposal to provide inservice training of principals in all three districts, which will further focus on school-based management in a desegregated school system. b. Arkansas Community Foundation: The Little Rock District recently initiated its own educational fund as part of this Foundation. The funds generated from this account will be used to enhance the newly organized District's educational program. With the continued decrease of public funds, it is even more important for districts to seek external financial resources. This foundation will be asked to extend its Board to include representation from the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School. c. Transportation Advisory Council: The Council is a standing committee appointed by the Board. It advises the administration and the Board on matters pertaining to all aspects of the District's transportation program. For example, it might recommend to the Board the addition of new transportation routes. Since several schools in the Little Rock School District will have unique programs which will be shared with the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District, the Transportation Advisory Council will be expanded to provide representation from the other two districts. Thus, this cooperative body will deal with many transportation matters unique to desegregation. -72-K. d. Biracial Advisory Committee: This is a committee mandated by the Court under the Clark decree for the express purpose of monitoring the District's desegregation plan. It advises the administration, the Board, and the Court as to the District's compliance with the Court-ordered desegregation plan. Biracial Committees in the three districts may share monitoring and evaluation information in order to more effectively assess desegregation efforts in all three school districts. e. United May of Pulaski County: Currently, all three districts in Pulaski County participate and benefit from membership in the United Way. Each district uses funds derived from United Way for clothing and school supplies for needy students. It is anticipated that. in the new District, participation in the United Way would be increased and continue to serve indigent students. f. Chapter 1 Parent Advisory Council: The Chapter 1 program is a compensatory education program. Pres- ently, cooperation is evident among the three districts. For instance, there is a tri-district PAC Council in which parents from the Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District come together annually to identify strategies to enhance learning g. opportunities for educationally disadvantaged children. Arkansas Parents: Parents in Learning Experiences (APPLE): The state program for promoting the -73- involvement of parents in education will be used as a means to increase cooperation among the Little Rock School District, Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District in their efforts to augment parent participation in their children's education. Through the assistance of the APPLE coordinator, the three districts will meet for APPLE training sessions. h. Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS): The VIPS program is an essential part of the present District. Its primary purpose is to augment the educational programs of the District with community volunteers. In Little Rock the program is entitled VIPS. It will be of utmost importance in the reorganized District to expan d the volunteer program. The practice of cooperation which presently exists between the three school districts' school volunteer programs will be continued. Adult/Community Education Advisory Council: An advi- sory council is now involved in advising the District regarding adult and community education. The Council will be expanded. Cooperation will continue to exist in all three districts, i.e., graduation exercises. workshops, inservice, etc. j. District PTA-Council: The District maintains a council i. made up of representatives from the school-based PTA's. It is generally concerned with the overall educational program of the District. k. Friends of KLRE: The Little Rock District operates KLRE, its own radio station. The "Friends of KLRE" act -74-as an advisory council to assist with the various aspects of the station's operation. Some effort will be made to have representation on this council from the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District. This group's membership and the station's mission will be broadened to reflect the reorganized Little Rock School District . 1. Special Education Advisory Council: The District maintains a council involved with the various aspects of the District's Special Education Department and provides advice to the administration and Board regarding matters relating to the eleven handicapping con- ditions of special education students. Participation on this council will be extended to the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District to focus on special education concerns throughout the county. m. Athletic Booster Clubs: These clubs are in the senior high schools of the District
they provide much needed support for the high school athletic clubs. These will be maintained. n. Guidance Advisory Council: In order to provide ex- ternal and community advice to the guidance program, the Little Rock District recently established the Guidance Advisory Council. Representation on this council will be extended to a counselor in the Pulaski County Special School District and the North Little Rock School District. -75- i0, The Cid state House: Curriculum materials and educa- tional activities are currently offered to students and teachers in the District. These services will be maintained. P. The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History: The Little Rock branch offers programs, displays, and curricular materials
it also sponsors II Black History Month" in the schools. The Association can expand to assist the Little Rock School District, the Pulaski County Special School District, and the North Little Rock School District with curriculum materials tc provide a common theme on Black History for all public schools in Pulaski County. -76-Eii IV. ORGANIZATIONAL EQUITY -n- fA. GOVERNANCE This Court approved during the consolidation hearings a plan for governance. Those philosophical underpinnings were based on good election planning, certain statutory mandates, requirements of the Fifteenth Amendment, and careful efforts to make certain that black voting strength in the Little Rock School District is not diluted. The opinion of the Eighth Circuit made no criticisms of this plan for governance. This plan has merely changed the proposed District lines to conform with the boundaries of the reorganized District. 1. The Board of Directors The Little Rock School District Board of Directors will consist of seven members. The number seven is chosen 2. because the general rule of both regulatory and legislative planning prefers odd numbers to prevent split and tie votes. The Board members will be chosen from single-member districts. Boundaries of the Single Member Districts The boundaries of the districts will be drawn to conform with the following guidelines: a. Each district will be as equal in numbers as is practi- cable to guarantee the principle of "one man one vote" mandated by the Fifteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution. b. Each district will be a contiguous territory and will be as compact as is practicable. c. The boundaries of each district will use identifiable -78-d. e. boundaries such as streets, rivers and streams, roads and other identifiable practicable. When it is possible to ra i 1 - rights of way, whenever use other jurisdictional boundaries, they will be used. This requirement is used in election planning to simplify public under- standing and identify with a particular voting district. Whenever possible, traditional neighborhoods will be kept intact. The boundaries must be drawn to ensure no dilution of minority voting strength. The districts as drawn will be presented at the June 16, 1986, hearing. -Implementation of Plan for Governanre Present Board positions will be available when their term of office has expired. In order to be elected to the Board of Directors, a candidate must live in the District from which he/she is seeking election. Only one Board member may be elected from any one district
thus when the term of a present Board member expires, that position will be filled by an individual from one of the newly formed districts from which no other Board member resides. To ensure success, this plan must be implemented ninety days prior to the next regular school Board election. This ninety days is required to conform to the forty-five day filing requirement statute. The additional time is necessary because significant structural changes are proposed. This extra time allow for the identificatic requirement is also necessary to on of precinct and polling places -79- iK. and other administrative duties performed by the Election Commission. 4. Annexations Land annexations to the city of Little Rock will become territory of the Little Rock School District immediately when the annexation is effected. The county assessor will make the required changes on the tax books. The students in the areas annexed to the Little Rock School District will be reassigned under the Little Rock School District desegregation plan no later than July 1 of the following school year. The Pulaski County Election Commission shall, upon notification by the Little Rock School District, revise the boundary lines of the Little Rock School District. Such notification shall be required not later than ninety days prior to the annual school election. 5. Census Check In order to maintain the Fifteenth Amendment requirements, the boundaries will be examined in 1992 and every ten years thereafter. The adjustments made by the Little Rock School District Board of Directors of Education must be approved by the County Board of Directors of Education as required by Arkansas statute. B. ADMINISTRATIVE REORGANIZATION Administrative, certificated, and all other personnel will be deployed across all locations and in ways that will facilitate both the racial and educational equity aims basic to District reorganization. -80-This section of our plan proposes an organizational struc- ture for the reorganized District as a whole, brief job description for all positions. It also provides a The Chart on the following page shows a general organizational structure for the reorganized Little Rock School District. -81-Community LRSD Administrative School Board Organization Legal Counsel Superintendent Assistant to the Superintendent lor Planning, Research, Evaluation, and Pupil Accounting Director ol Public Inlormation Associate Superintendent lor Desegregation I 30 Associate Superintendent lor Support Services Associate Superintendent lor Curriculum Associate Superintendent for Pupil and Staff Services Associate Superintendent for School Operations I Administrative Assistant Director-Financial Services Director-Data Processing Director-Plant Services Facilities Coordinator Supvr.-Custodians Salety and Security Officer Director-Transportation Director-Purchasing Administrative Assistant Director-Adult Education Dlrecctor-lnstructlonal Resource Ctr. Director-Vocational Education Supvr.-Voc. Ed. Director-Athletics and PE Director-Special Education Supvrs.-Sp. Ed. Director-Personnel Director-Federal Programs CoordInator-PAC Director-Volunteers In Public Schools Director-Pupil Services Psychological Examiners CoordInator-CARE Director-Staff Development Directors . School Improvement Principals I Warehouse Manager Curriculum Specialists Director-Food Services Supvrs.-Food Services Warehouse ManagerD. JOB DESCRIPTIONS FOR REORGANIZED SCHOni DISTRICT 1. Office of the Superintendent The Superintendent of Schools will serve as the chief executive officer of the reorganized Little Rock School District and will lead the District in accordance with the school laws of Arkansas and the policies of its Board. Reporting to the Superintendent are: the Central Office Associate Superintendents
the Assistant to the Superintendent for Planning, Research, Evaluation, and Pupil Account- 2. 3. mg
the Associate Superintendent for Desegregation
and the Director of Public Information. Assistant to the Superintendent Evaluation, and Pupil Accounting for Planring, Research, The Assistant to the Superintendent for Planning, Research, Evaluation, the work of and Pupil Accounting will coordinate program monitoring, statistical administrative audits and specialists will In addition services, and analyses. assist in this work. to the above Assistant to the Superintendent figures, make student enrollment A team of evaluation responsibilities, the wi 11 monitor enrollment projections, file enrollment reports with the District and coordinate the management of with the state, and student records. Director of Public Information The Director of Public Information, answering to the Superintendent, informed about school District will keep the employees and the public activities, inform the Superintendent concerning issues of current review and analysis by the press and the public, supervise the -83-4. 5. development of programs for educational radio and television, and stimulate good communication within the Little Rock School District and with the public. Associate Superintendent for Desegregation The Associate Superintendent for Desegregation will be charged with the implementation of all aspects of this plan except the portion concerning governance and the electoral districts and processes. He or she will be the officer in charge of the Office of Desegregation, which will include student assignment, staff assignment, transportation planning and review, monitoring and evaluation for the District, financial review, and forward planning. While the Associate Superintendent for Desegregation will not have operating authority outside the sectors of student and staff assignment, monitoring, and forward planning for desegregation. this officer will be given full access to all data on any aspect of the system other than governance and will have author!ty to make written requests for changes in central office or building policies and practices which give evidence of impeding implementation of the spirit as well as the letter of the plan. Associate Superintendent for Support Services The Associate Superintendent for Support Services will supervise the following areas: financial services, data processing, school facilities and plant services, maintenance, transportation, purchasing, and food service. The Associate Superintendent will also serve as the Chief Negotiator for the Board of Directors of the Little Rock School District. -84-B 6. Wnistrative Assistant to the Associate Superintendent for Support Services The Administrative Assistant to the Associate Superintendent for Support Services will provide assistance and support to the Associate Superintendent to facilitate leadership in development, implementation, and monitoring of 7. support services for the Little Rock School District. Director of Financial Services 8. The Director of Financial Services receipt, disbursement. investment, and will supervise accounting for District funds. Financial reporting and monitoring of revenues, receipts, and expenditures are also the sibilities of the Director Director of Data Processing of Financial Services. respon- The Director of Data Processino ,in supervise all activ- 9. ities related to data for the District. analysis. systems and data-processing activities The Department handles epplicatiors, design, development, and evaluation of installation. maintenance. computer services. The planning, coordination, and scheduling of computer-related services for instructional and administrative functions sibilities of this department. Director of Plant Services The Director of Plant Services will are also respon- supervise construction and renovation activities and buildings and projects for school facilities, prepare building and capital-improvement plans and projects, and approve and coordinate plans and specifications completed by f i rms. contracted The Director will also be responsible for keeping -85-K 10. 11. 12. buildings and grounds comfortable, safe, and attractive for students, staff, and the community. This includes handling requests for repairs and maintenance and supervising the building engineers and custodial staff. will supervise the Security Officer. Safety and Security Officer The Director also The Safety and Security Officer will work in Plant Services. This person will develop and interpret safety regulations and coordinate emergency school closings and disaster plans. He/she will also develop safety training programs, supervise security personnel assigned to schools and buses, and serve as a liaison with other agencies concerned with various safety regulations. Director of Transportation The Director of Transportation will administer a districtwide transportation system which provides eligible students with safe and efficient transportation. The Director will supervise a staff of supervisors, dispatchers. mechanics, and drivers. Director of Purchasing The Director of Purchasing will receive and process requisitions, develop and examine specifications, solicit bids, handle the bidding process, recommend bid purchases to the Associate Superintendent, and dispose of items no longer used by the District. In addition the Director of Purchasing will be in charge of the Property Accounting function and operate the District's supply center and intradistrict mail system. -86-13. Director of Food Services The Director of Food Services will provide nutritional and financially sound food service to all schools. The Department will plan menus, develop instructional material s 14. to highlight ethnic-food celebrations and nutritional information, and will operate school cafeterias, central kitchen centers, and satellite lunch Associate Superintendent for Curricu1 programs. urn The Associate Superintendent for Curriculum wi 11 be responsible for instructional planring, curriculum develop- ment. instructional resources and technical assistance for educational programs in grades K-12, and the administration of federal, state, and private grants and programs related to curriculum and instruction. The Associate Superintendent 15. will supervise the following individuals: Director of Adult Education, Director of Vocational Education, Director of Athletics and Physical Education, Director of Special Education, the Director of the Instructional Resource Center (IRC), and Curriculum Specialists. ^HListrative Assistant to the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum The Administrative Assistant to the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum will provide assistance and support to the Associate Superintendent so that he/she can provide leadership in development. implementation, and monitoring of educational programs and services for the Little Rock School District. -87-16. Director of Adult Education The Director of Adult Education will be responsible for the administration of adult education programs. The Director also will work closely with the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum in planning programs to meet the needs of adults in the community. 17. Director of Vocational Education The Director of Vocational Education will be responsible for the administration of vocational programs. The Director also will work closely with the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum in planning, developing, and implementing instructional programs in vocational-technical education. 18. Director of Special Education The Director of Special Education will be responsible for the administration of programs supported with federal and state funds to meet the needs of special education students. The Director also will work closely with the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum in planning the curriculum to meet the needs of special education students. The Director will supervise the Special Education Supervisors. 19. Director of The Instructional Resource Center The Director of the Instructional Resource Center will be responsible for the programs of the Instructional Resource Center which serves as the District's II Teacher Center. II This center will provide professional growth activities. inservice meetings. instructional support activities, and the development and dissemination of -88-20. curriculum materials for teachers and students. Director will also be responsible for hel kind of The ping to provide the instruction and learning environment that will enable students in the District to master the reading skills appropriate to their ages and grade levels, supervises the Reading Specialists. The Director Director of Athletics and Physical Education The Director of Athletics and Physical Education will be responsible for the administration of the athletic, physical education and health programs in the secondary schools. The Director will also work closely with the 21. Associate Superintendent for Curriculum in planning the curriculum and physical education program. Curriculum Specialists The Curriculum Specialists of English, Foreign Language, Reading, Science, Math, Computer Services, Media, Social Studies, Music, and Art will report to the Associate Superintendent for Curriculum and provide assistance to the principals and teachers in developing, implementing, and evaluating the District's instructional programs in their specific areas of concentra
This project was supported in part by a Digitizing Hidden Special Collections and Archives project grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Council on Library and Information Resoources.