...buying power. On September 5th, the Economic Policy Institute released a new report entitled "The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high." It begins. "Teacher strikes in West Virginia, Oklahoma, Arizona, North Carolina, Kentucky, and Colorado have raised the profile of deteriorating teacher pay as a critical public policy issue. Teachers and parents are … Continue reading Can Phil Berger Explain This? NC Teacher Pay Ranks 49th In the U.S. When Looking at …

Mark Johnson claims that he wants to change the “status quo.” But in reality he wants to protect the “status quo.” In fact, he is the “status quo.” The term “status quo” has become something of a nebulous term for public education and has evolved into a powerful logical fallacy used by reformers. The use … Continue reading Actually State Supt. Johnson, You Are the Damn Status Quo

"Johnson said he will urge the State Board of Education to eliminate certain tests required by board policies, not by state and federal law. He also said he will try to convince the Department of Public Instruction to change policies around end-of-year testing and how they are administered" (http://www.wfae.org/post/north-carolina-superintendent-says-hes-trying-reduce-testing-young-students#stream/0).

One of the most wonderful aspects of teaching where I teach is the air of inclusiveness among the students. No time is that more felt than when Malcolm and I go to a West Forsyth football game at Jerry Peoples Stadium in the Village. For a kid who happens to have an extra chromosome and … Continue reading Jersey Night At the Village

This week, the Civitas Institute posted an op-ed on its site by a former teacher from the Winston-Salem / Forsyth County school system entitled "Does NCAE Harm or Help?" When the Civitas Institute mentions anything about NCAE, one can usually bet that it will be against the teacher organization and not only question its actions … Continue reading “Does NCAE Help or Harm?” – About That Misguided Op-ed From the Civitas Institute

Yesterday, the state released the latest school performance grades. These performance grades again serve as a clear indication of what our leaders are not doing to help students in public schools. Of the schools that received a D or an F from the state, look how many qualify as schools with high poverty. What the … Continue reading School Performance Grades Were Released – Those Lawmakers Should Be Graded As Well

  N.C. Connections Academy is associated with the giant company Pearson. At least it is almost doing as well as the other for-profit virtual charter school in the state, N.C. Virtual Academy. Both schools were successful in getting their contracts extended this past summer, even when Stanford University (as Billy Ball stated last year) “reported … Continue reading NC Virtual Charters Still Doing Badly. Here’s An Idea for the Deputy Supt. of Innovation

Yesterday, the South Bend Tribune published a piece highlighting the recent release of a voucher study entitled "Study: Math scores drop for low-income students who use vouchers for private schools." It begins, "Low-income Indiana students who use vouchers to attend private schools experienced drops in their math scores for several years, according to results of … Continue reading What This Indiana Voucher Study Reflects About NC’s Opportunity Grants – And It Is Not Positive

Oliver North is the incoming president of the NRA. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick is an NRA member and the second-in-command in the state of Texas. Larry Pittman is a “man of God” and also a member of NRA. He also happens to be a representative in the North Carolina General Assembly as is Rep. Mark … Continue reading Still a “Thug” in a Building “With Too Many Doors” Defending Students From Kids “Drugged” With “Ritalin” Indoctrinated by “Communist Democrats” – Or, Being a North Carolina Teacher

This past spring, the NCGA voted to approve the Municipal Charter School bill 64-53. And because it was a local bill, it did not require the governor’s approval. This is beyond egregious and potentially sets North Carolina back decades as far as treating all people equally. It exacerbates an already fractious situation that has endured … Continue reading Remember in November – In Passing HB514, The NCGA Set Our State Back Decades