A 2016 report from The Century Foundation estimated that 100 school districts and charter schools are pursuing socioeconomic integration plans, and the number could be even higher now. “The case for pursuing these policies is powerful: low-income students in mixed-income schools are as much as two years ahead of low-income students in high-poverty schools,” the report said, “and diversity benefits middle-class students as emerging research has shown that being in diverse learning environments can make students smarter.”
In addition to strategically placing the magnet schools, WCPSS also placed year-round schools in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and required families to apply to attend these schools.
