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Diana Burroughs

Diana Burroughs, Co-founder and Executive Director of TeachersCount
Co-founder of PENCIL, a non-profit that encourages private-sector involvement in public education, Diana more recently served as the Manhattan Borough Deputy to the New York City Schools Chancellor. Diana received her Ph.D. from Princeton University.

Consolidating School Districts

New York, July 28, 2006—In an informal online poll that ran at the end of the 2005-2006 school year, visitors to TeachersCount.org were asked if they thought that consolidating school districts would narrow the academic achievement gap. In total there were 294 respondents, 197 of whom described themselves as educators.

Of all respondents, 15% strongly agreed that consolidating school districts across race and class lines would narrow the academic achievement gap; 19% somewhat agreed; 30% had mixed feelings; 11% somewhat disagreed; 20% strongly disagreed; and 5% were usure. The educators’ appraisal of the law was slightly more negative than that of the non-educators. 22% of educators strongly disagreed, whereas only 16% of non-educators strongly disagreed. 14% of educators strongly agreed, while 19% percent of non-educators strongly agreed.

The poll invited respondents to comment, and many of them did. Below is a sampling of comments arranged by response:

Somewhat agree
  • “I think class integration is more significant and that it has more potential to narrow the gap than race.”
  • “Studies have indicated that our racial problems are rooted in economics: redistricting will go far to help resolve that issue.”
Mixed feelings
  • “Though integrating students has benefits for everyone involved, providing opportunities to understand and befriend people who seem "different" from us, the loss of community created by mega-districts is something that cannot be ignored.”
Strongly disagree
  • “Creating a lowest common denominator standard is not good for anyone.”
  • “I disagree with busing to achieve this (as a former product of busing). More effort should be made to make all schools equal, regardless of race and class lines, without the need for busing. Too much is wasted and kids and their families lose their sense of community being taken away from the area they live in.”
  • “The achievement gaps will narrow when the quality of instruction improves. The quality of instruction will improve when schools are funded properly and professional pay for educators is equal to other industries in order to attract and keep quality teachers. This takes a commitment from federal, state, and local districts and their citizens. Teacher quality is the key...not the size of the school or district. ”