Economic
Transportation"I can truly tell you, the most sour note in every Warrentonian's mouth right now is our school system… The bottom line is, if we don't educate our future, we're going to lose our future, and that's where we stand right now."
- Community Member
According to the Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP, 2000), the Warren County school system serves approximately 3316 students and is comprised of one high school and one middle school, both located in Warrenton, and five elementary schools scattered throughout the county. The Hawkins Educational Center, another facility in Warrenton, offers pre-kindergarten and alternative school programs. Norlina Christian School is a private K through 12 institution. In addition to primary and secondary schools, Warren County also has a satellite campus of Vance-Granville Community College, which opened in Warrenton in 1988.
In 1996-1997, the racial make-up of the Warren County school system's student body was 74% African American, 20% White, and 5% Native American. In addition to African American and White students, Hispanic enrollment has increased in the county since 1990 from 5 to 30 students (County Health Data Book, 1999).
School performance is at or below the state average in most subject areas, with only 27.3% of middle school students writing at or above level as compared to the state average of 54.6% (County Health Data Book, 1999). In addition, Warren County students had the second lowest average SAT score in 1998 among 14 other counties in the RTRP (RTRP, 2000), ranking in the bottom quarter for the state (County Health Data Book, 1999). Lagging school performance may be due in part to the dropout rate in Warren County, which in 1998 and 1999 was 3.8%, the third highest rate in the RTRP. In relation to this data, it is interesting to note that at $6094.70 per student, Warren County had the fourth highest per pupil expenditure in the RTRP in 1997 and 1998. Only Chapel Hill/Carrboro Schools, Durham County Schools and Orange County Schools spent more money per student (RTRP, 2000). This indicates financial expenditures in the area of education do not necessarily lead to more successful students.
When community members are asked about the school system in Warren County, they almost invariably give negative responses. Complaints range from teachers giving certain students preferential treatment to poorly designed bus routes. Several times, community members said they would advise someone moving to the county to "think twice" if the newcomer was looking for good schools. At the heart of the community's concern that Warren County children are not getting the education they deserve and that both the children and the county suffer the consequences.
Community members are frustrated with the teachers in the school system. This frustration has several facets. First, although the secondary data does not cover this, many people perceive that the teachers in the Warren County school system are not accredited to teach. There is much indignation that teachers who are not qualified are entrusted with educating the community's children. One respondent was "shocked" to realize how unprepared teachers are. The concept of a "free day" was mentioned several times; community members hear about teachers who regularly give free days to students instead of teaching or assigning work.
Beyond qualification concerns, community members feel that teachers treat certain students differently. Some feel that teachers regard students from single-parent families less favorably than students from two-parent homes. There were also concerns that children were treated unfairly on the basis of race. While parents are frustrated with the teachers who are in the school system, they are equally frustrated that county government has done nothing to provide incentives for new teachers to come to the county, such as competitive salaries. According to some community members, there is no reason for teachers to come to Warren County because they can go elsewhere and find more money. In addition, there is very little affordable housing or rental property in the county that young teachers could utilize. In general, there is a sense from community members that local government is not committed to improving the school system. As one resident put it, "We're building jails faster than we're reforming schools in Warren County." Community sentiment is that schools are not the county's top priority.
Community members were also concerned with behavioral problems in the schools. Residents recognize that young people have a great deal of energy, but that energy needs to be "focused" somehow. Some community members feel that children who have trouble at home are already disadvantaged when they come to school. To quote one community member, "You would be surprised how many of those kids have been abused. And the teacher doesn't know that and she's trying to teach a child [who's] parents are on drugs, and those kids are being abused down as low as third grade. You can't teach a child successfully when they are under that type of stress." Another respondent summed the situation, as many community members see it, by saying, "We got a lot of stressed out parents who send stressed out children to school every day to deal with stressed out teachers and then you end up with a stressed out school system."
Service provider data is in agreement with community member perspective in that many service providers feel the educational system is not meeting the needs of the children in the county. One service provider suggested that Warren County children are "good kids" but they have internalized the county's poverty-stricken image, which leads to a sense of helplessness. Another provider claimed that expectations for children are low. "They're not encouraged to rise above the poverty and [their] parents' level of achievement." The provider reiterated some of the commonly expressed themes among other providers that students lack a strong personal vision. One provider said that instead of envisioning themselves as owning a salon, young people set their goal at being a hairdresser who works in the salon.
One provider referred to Warren County's education system as the "educational struggle," claiming that a lack of community investment in the county's young people is reflected in the struggling school system. While the school system has capable kids and some involved parents, service providers generally agree that the "education at school doesn't match present day job needs," that "the educational system is in an economic rut," and that the "teachers need to be better educated so they can educate the kids." However, on the whole, service providers did not focus on education as a primary problem in the county to the extent community members did.
Secondary data, community perspectives, and service provider perspectives all indicate that the educational system is in need of attention. During focus groups, it became clear that for community members, education was an emotional topic. Many of the respondents had children in the school system who were coming home with stories of "free days" and unfair treatment from teachers. Some respondents were upset about rude treatment they themselves received when they tried to address their concerns with the teachers. Whether these situations are common throughout Warren County is unknown. However, focus group respondents clearly demonstrated anger, frustration, and indignation when discussing the school system. They often expressed they did not feel the decision makers and power holders in the community were willing to make significant improvements in the schools.
Several service providers were also concerned about education in Warren County, although they were not as emotional as community members. Other providers did not dwell on education as a primary topic of concern. This could be due to the nature of our discussions with service providers (interviews as opposed to focus groups), lack of a personal connection with the issue, and/or lack of a professional investment in the area. Generally, service providers seemed more concerned with students themselves and how the students view their future. However, most providers recognized that improving the education of Warren County youth was imperative if the county is to have any "hope of climbing out of the economic rut [it's] in." In all, residents of Warren County and those who provide services agree that the educational system must be improved.
Ultimately, qualitative data suggest that while both community members and service providers agree that education needs to be addressed, their perspectives may differ on the severity of the problem. Facilitation of communication between the two groups may help to narrow the gap between service providers and community members.
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