In 2012, the North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation for the "Read to Achieve" initiative. Six years later, it has not really achieved. From a recent Charlotte Observer report: The General Assembly passed Read to Achieve legislation in 2012. It was modeled on literacy efforts in other states, including the “Just Read, Florida!” program created by Gov. … Continue reading The Underachieving “Read to Achieve” – Stop Listening to Jeb Bush and Invest More in Early Childhood Education

“We will continue to use data-driven analyses, including feedback from classroom teachers, to drive changes ...." - Mark Johnson last Friday concerning the report on the ineffectiveness of Read to Achieve. The idea of using data to drive policy is not a new occurrence. But it is sometimes hard to quantify the qualitative aspects of … Continue reading If Mark Johnson Wants to be “Data-Driven,” Then He Might Want to Look at These Data

When an NC lawmaker makes a claim about how well they have treated public education, the whole story may not be told – only a glossy version. In this season of electioneering and rather important midterms, it is important to know that the biggest part of the iceberg is under the water level where most … Continue reading Debunking 13 Common Electioneering Claims Made by Current Politicians Concerning NC’s Public Schools

As reported yesterday's News & Observer, NC's ACT scores reside near the very bottom in the nation. "New results released Wednesday from the Class of 2018 show that North Carolina’s average score remained at 19.1 out of a possible 36. The state was below the national average of 20.8 and tied for 46th among the … Continue reading About Those “Low” Average ACT Scores Here in North Carolina

If one thing is for certain, North Carolina’s school performance grades are a confirmation that student poverty levels have so much to do with how schools perform. Those performance grades also help to fuel "reform" efforts. EdNC.org released a new version of its Data Dashboard that allows users to filter for different variables when viewing … Continue reading Using Systemic Poverty to Privatize Public Education

When a student takes a standardized test in North Carolina, it is always good to realize that there is a certain psychology that goes into the making of a test: "distractors," almost correct answers, the "throwaway," etc. Imagine taking a reading comprehension test on what exactly the six constitutional amendments are on the November 6th … Continue reading Nix All Six – A Reading Comprehension Test for NC’s Six Constitutional Amendments

Call it for what it is: Phil Berger fears Jen Mangrum. She's met every ill-conceived obstacle he has thrown at her head on and she has overcome. And now as the final month of the campaign season, Berger has resorted to an old method of electioneering: hyperbole mixed with appeals to unfounded fears. "Destroy." "Abortion." … Continue reading The Fear-Slinging Hyperbole of Phil Berger And Why The “MOB” Should Vote for Jen Mangrum

We have a state superintendent with an eye for charters and school choice. We have a General Assembly that wants to grow the voucher system exponentially. We have a DPI that is slowly being overtaken by charter school champions. We have enacted every sort of "reform" known. We are still spending less per pupil when … Continue reading Could This Happen to North Carolina? Because The Ingredients Are There

October 15th is rapidly approaching and I am busy rereading drafts of recommendations for those students who have deadlines for early decision applications and scholarship awards. This year, most early decision recs are being sent to UNC-Chapel Hill, my wife’s alma mater. Some to App State’s Honors College. A couple to USC in Columbia. One … Continue reading Why Service Work Matters For High Schoolers And the Rest of Us

What was reported in a recent edition of the Independent Tribune out of Cabarrus County is the epitome of a politician trying to buy the teacher vote under the guise of truly being pro-public education. From October 9th, On Monday afternoon, teachers at Royal Oaks Elementary and Northwest Cabarrus Middle School were asked to stay … Continue reading Buying Teachers’ Votes