ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 16, 1997 TAG: 9702140018
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
Kaye Hale thinks Roanoke magnet schools put too much emphasis on technology and not enough on teachers and classroom environment - including the pupil-teacher ratio.
Many parents and students praise the schools, but Hale has a different view.
She lives in the Raleigh Court neighborhood, where enrollment at Raleigh Court Elementary is 91 percent white, the highest of any school in the city.
When Hale's son began kindergarten last year, she chose a magnet school because she wanted him to attend a school with racial diversity and what she thought would be a high quality education.
"I have strived to place my child in a diverse environment since he was 16 months old because I wanted him to make his own judgments about people of all different backgrounds without adults or society predisposing him one way or the other," she said.
Her son was admitted to Fairview Elementary in Northwest Roanoke. With a plants and animals theme, it is one of the city's most popular magnet schools. About one of every four pupils comes from outside its attendance zone.
Hale said her son began experiencing behavioral problems after a few months at Fairview. After meeting with the teacher and principal, she suspected her child was not being challenged academically.
"That was not very surprising considering he was in a classroom of 24 children," she said.
Hale said school officials indicated there were children with many different ability levels in her son's classroom and her son's "above average needs" might not be met at Fairview. She said school officials suggested it might be best for him to attend his neighborhood school with children of similar ability.
But Hale decided to leave her son at Fairview because she believes it important for him to be in a diverse environment. He had problems again this year, but she decided to leave him at the school for the rest of the school year. She's not sure whether she will send him to Fairview next year.
Hale believes more of the federal magnet funds should be used to create smaller classes and train teachers to make pupils feel welcome at the schools.
The city has reduced class sizes in early elementary grades at many schools in recent years. Classes in kindergarten through grade three average no more than 15 children at several magnet schools.
At Fairview, the classes average 19 pupils. The school does not qualify for the same level of funding for smaller classes as some other magnet schools.
Hale thinks class size has been a factor in her son's troubles.
"A lot of the magnet money has gone into technology and I have no problem with technology," she said. "But I'd like more money to be used to truly improve education."
She thinks the city should fully integrate all schools - even redrawing attendance lines if necessary - so children like her son wouldn't have to leave their neighborhoods to attend a racially diverse school.
"I think they are legally bound to bring about racial balance in all schools," she said. "Magnet schools just are not doing the job in our city."
School officials said Roanoke is not under a court order to maintain a certain racial balance in each school, but the city does bus some children and uses magnet schools to try to reduce racial isolation.
LENGTH: Medium: 65 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Kaye Hale\Son attends Fairviewby CNB