GREENVILLE, N.C. - Even though it's mid summer, some Pitt County residents have not put school on the back burner.
During a meeting Tuesday night, they talked about diversity in Pitt County’s public schools.
"I think it's important for everyone to get to know different cultures and to be able to understand the background of the students that they're teaching, in order to be able to reach them where they are," said Ronda Everett, Greenville Parent.
It's an important difference we've come to recognize as "diversity"
Understanding its role in education is what brought Pitt County residents out for what they call a community dialogue.
"To start dialogues between parents and between community groups and community members to really start building toward an integrated system of equitable education," said Rebecca Reno with the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity.
She says they're looking to bring culture back into the classroom.
"We're looking at the school comprehensively and what can be done to shift some of the culture and climate in schools," said Reno.
With Wake County schools moving to a neighborhood school system that some say will bring back segregation, those at the meeting say that simply can't happen here in the east.
"If you only assign students to go to the schools closest to where they live, you are going to reinforces those segregated housing patters and have segregated schools."
Mark Dorosin with the UNC Center for Civil Rights says the divide would eventually affect how students learn.
"All educational policy research shows that racially isolated, high poverty schools produce poor educational outcomes," said Dorosin.
Pitt County parent Ronda Everett hopes to understand the variety of talents diversity can bring to the classroom.
"I want to get an understanding of how our schools systems are run. What they think goes on and how they respond to the parents."
The Pitt County School Board plans to have a new assignment plan for the 2011 - 2012 school year.
They're looking for input from the community through meetings like this one tonight.
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