White flight ... from private schools?

Private school enrollment has been declining nationwide over the past decade,  especially among white students,  according to a new U.S. Census Bureau study.

The working paper concludes that that national downturn,  which began earlier in the decade,  isn't likely to have been caused by the recession.  Instead,  it found a link between charter school growth and private school decline,  suggesting that families who aren't happy with traditional public schools may be switching to a tuition-free alternative.

The Census study inspired me to check North Carolina's private-school reports. They show enrollment growing steadily in Mecklenburg County and statewide from 2000 to 2009, with both slumping in 2010.

But the numbers don't show a dramatic decline.  Mecklenburg's private enrollment began ticking up again in 2011 and 2012.  The latest report shows a total of 19,545 students in Mecklenburg's private schools,  accounting for just over 20 percent of all N.C. students in private schools.  That's just barely below the 2009 peak of 19,733.  Statewide, the 2012 total of 96,096 in private schools is about 2.5 percent below the 2009 peak.

The national report raises interesting questions about the dynamics of change, especially with a surge in charter schools statewide and in the Charlotte region. Leaders of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Mecklenburg's charter and private schools have held two meetings to talk about the balance between competition and cooperation.

Nobody's ready to issue a public plan or agenda yet, but CMS spokeswoman Kathryn Block said they're discussing potential for common ground in  "teacher professional development,  transportation,  grants and community messaging."

Speaking of the charter boom:  N.C. Senators Jerry Tillman and Dan Soucek filed a bill Thursday that would create a new governing board for charters. Here's what the N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools had to say about it.