Tony Lamair Burks II, Director
of Magnet and Choice Schools, Guilford County Schools

Richard Moore, President, Weaver Foundation, and member of the Guilford Education Alliance

What are the issues?

The Guilford County School District provides educational services to 71,000 students with different needs. Guilford County School high schoolers are dropping out, many students opt out of advanced placement tests, and a diverse population ranges from those students who arrive in the U.S. without basic language skills to students needing advanced classes.

According to the Guilford County School Indicators of School Improvement statistics,

• In 1999-2000 only 66.1% of Guilford County School high schoolers graduated.
  
  
• In 1999-2000, 5.97% of the Guilford County School kids grades 9 to 12 were dropping out of school.

Guilford County Schools must provide support across its broad educational continuum.

Tony Lamair Burks II, Director
of Magnet and Choice Schools, Guilford County Schools

Melvin Alston, Guilford County Commissioner

What are they doing?

The Guilford County School District includes magnet school themes for elementary, middle, and high school students. High school students who don't like the traditional high school have more choices and can attend one of seven college campuses.

There are 120 Guilford County Schools located in both urban and rural areas, with the major types shown in the following chart.

Most public schools do not offer a similar quantity and variety of choices. By August 2008 , Guilford County Schools will offer 44 magnet and choice schools with 50 programs (see Magnet Schools on Guilford County Schools Web site), which include:

• About 18 magnet school themes (such as Montessori, communications, leadership, global studies, international baccalaureate, and science and technology schools). Guilford County Schools is starting 6 new schools this year, one of them an aviation academy.
  
  
• Middle and Early Colleges on seven college campuses

The first in the state to do so, Guilford County Schools created the Early and Middle College programs. These two options offer classes at local college campuses and provide an alternative to the traditional high school setting. NC Governor Michael Easley cites these programs as models for others.

• The Early College program enables students to gain college credit while they are in their senior year of traditional high school and offers them a chance to qualify for a three-year scholarship upon graduation.
  
  
• The Middle College program enables students to attend high school classes in a small class, college setting. High school juniors or seniors who are capable of doing honors-level work but are dissatisfied or unsuccessful in the high school environment can attend the Middle College.

In 2007, the Guilford County Schools System was selected to receive funding under the Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) from the U.S. Department of Education. With the grant, the district can establish an aviation academy and expand the International Baccalaureate (IB), Montessori, and Science and Technology programs.

"We are pleased that we were selected to receive an MSAP grant," acknowledges Tony Lamair Burks II, Director of Magnet and Choice Schools. "The funding will enable us to advance themes and programs that promote and expand public school choice and meet the needs and interests of the Guilford County community. I am especially excited about the Aviation Academy and its ties to the business community."

Alan Duncan, Chairman, Guilford County School Board

Janie Carter, Middle College Student, Guilford County Community College

How does this make a difference?

The results are that more students graduate, fewer students drop out, and academic performance increases.

More students graduate

"We want to capture kids, get them hooked on learning, and carry them through," says Burks. Guilford County Schools is doing just that. One example of this is Jane Carter, 18 years old, who lives on her own and works part time. She says she gets more one-on-one teacher attention attending a middle college. "If you need that support, somebody [at the school] wants you to succeed," claims Carter.

According to the 2006-07 Guilford County Schools Progress Report, the district's graduation rate reached 79.7 percent, a 5.6 percent increase from the 2005-06 data. The following chart shows the percentage of students graduating compared to other large school districts. No other large school system in North Carolina shows that large an increase.

The following table shows the data:

Schools receive recognition

Individual Guilford County high schools earn recognition as well. Newsweek announced its Top Advanced Placement/International Baccalaureate Schools. Thirteen Guilford County School traditional high schools made the list. Each school is thought to be in the top five percent of schools nationwide. Grimsley High placed in the top 100 for the third consecutive time, and Eastern High made an impressive gain, moving up 287 placements from last year.

Academic achievement increases

In addition to graduation rates, student achievement increases. According to the 2006-07 Guilford County Schools Progress Report, current results show that the percent of schools that made Adequate Yearly Progress* (AYP) (the federal method to assess student performance) increased 10.6% from 44.4 percent in 2005-06 to 55% in 2006-07. Here are some other statistics:

• The percent of elementary schools that made AYP increased 3.1% from 50.8% in 2005-06 to 53.8% in 2006-07.
  
  
• The percent of middle schools that made AYP increased 8.3% from 25% in 2005-06 to 33.3% in 2006-07.
  
  
• Eighteen out of 23 high schools made AYP. The percent of high schools that made AYP increased 30.6% from 47.6% in 2005-06 to 78.3% in 2006-07.
  
  
• In the 2006-07 year, four schools made AYP for the first time since 2002-03. They are Washington Elementary, Aycock Middle, Welborn Middle, and High Point Central High.
  
  
• County-wide, all 10 student subgroups in elementary made progress, nine out of ten in middle schools made progress, and eight out of ten in high schools made progress from the 2005-06 year in percentage proficiency for math.
  
  
• All 24 high schools met the new, tougher graduation rate AYP. Of the 24, 20 exceeded the state 80% target. Additionally, four high schools made progress from 2006.

"78% of our high schools made AYP this year. No other large school district in the state came close to that. And, that was significantly above almost double the state average," claims former Guilford County Schools Superintendent, Terry Grier.

Drop-out rate decreases

Former Guilford County Schools Superintendent Terry Grier claims, "A few years ago the drop-out rate was 5.97% and this year it dropped to 2.99%." The rate was cut almost in half since the 1999-00 rate.

The following chart, from North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction data in its 2006-07 Annual Dropout Report, compares the Guilford County dropout rate to other large districts in the state, as well as to rates of surrounding counties:

According to the North Carolina State Department of Public Instruction (in its 2006-07 Annual Dropout Report), the Guilford County Schools' dropout rate of 2.99 percent is not only significantly below the state average of 5.24 percent, but it is also the lowest among the largest districts in the state. Additionally, it is believed that Guilford County School system dropout rate ranks among the lowest of the nation's 50 largest districts.