School Board
Considers Diversity Plan . . .
SURVEY FINDS VALUE IN
DIVERSITY, SUPPORT FOR A PLAN
DES MOINES (February 19, 2008)
– The results of a survey on diversity in Des Moines Public
Schools has found that the community values diversity among
students in the community’s schools and gives strong support to
developing a new diversity plan.
Des Moines Public Schools is one of five
districts in Iowa which had a desegregation plan until a
decision by the U.S. Supreme Court last summer ruled that race
could no longer be the only factor in assigning students to
schools. Other factors, such as socioeconomic status, would have
to be considered.
Des Moines is in the process of deciding by March
1 whether or not to file a diversity plan for between-district
open enrollment as well as begin long-range planning on how
students are assigned to schools within the district. The Des
Moines School Board will decide whether or not to adopt a
diversity plan at their meeting this evening, which begins at
6:00 pm at 1800 Grand Avenue.
Last week, the school district held four
community forums on this issue. People who attended the forums
were asked to complete a survey; the survey was also available
online last week. A total of 1,030 surveys were completed. Some
highlights include:
-
75% of respondents felt it was important that
“the diversity of students in Des Moines schools reflects
the diversity of the community;” only 17% felt it was not
important.
-
By a margin of 52%-29%, respondents believed
a diverse student body benefited academic achievement, while
nearly 90% agreed that it helped in areas such as “preparing
students for life outside of school.”
-
57% of survey participants agreed that
students could be denied open enrollment in order to
maintain diversity while 37% disagreed.
-
By a margin of 67%-21%, respondents support
filing an open enrollment diversity plan by March 1.
-
61% felt that a diversity plan should be
based on both socioeconomic status and race; 11% felt it
should be based on socioeconomic status only.
Complete survey results are available online at
www.dmps.k12.ia.us.
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