...and have the score tied to their legislative profile. North Carolina is one of fewer than 20 states that requires all students (EC, LEP, etc.) to take the ACT, which has no impact on their transcripts, provides no feedback in its scores on how to improve student achievement and is administered on a school day … Continue reading Every North Carolina General Assembly Member Should Be Required to Take the ACT…

At the beginning of each school year, I am required to fully disclose my syllabus to all perspective students and parents. On the first day of class, I give each student a set of rubrics that I use to gauge written work throughout the year. Any student can ask how any assessment was graded and … Continue reading When .gov Allows .edu To Be Governed By .com – North Carolina’s Allegiance to SAS and EVAAS

According to Dr. Terry Stoops and the John Locke Foundation, we rank 20th in the country in teacher pay when "adjusted for cost of living." The John Locke Foundation is a libertarian-leaning think tank whose findings and studies on North Carolina’s public schools is so bent toward a political ideology that celebrates “school choice” and … Continue reading North Carolina Teacher Pay is Still Behind the National Average And Horribly Not Competitive – Why The Cost Of Living Adjustment Argument is Erroneous

No doubt that I am biased for the team that represents my school. I have taught some of those players. My daughter sits in class with some of them. But they are all my "students." Walking into Reynolds Coliseum yesterday on the campus of NC State University will be an experience not easily forgotten - … Continue reading Every NCGA Member Should Go to a NCHSAA Championship Game (And Pay)

It is not uncommon to drive through a town or municipality and observe under a “city limit” sign a nod to a local public high school’s (or schools’) accomplishment in winning a state championship. It is a sign of pride. It is a way of honoring schools and the students. It also shows that the … Continue reading “Village of Champions” – Clemmons, NC Needs One More Sign

I am convinced that some of the most unsung heroes in our schools are our coaches. They not only teach students inside of classrooms; they teach them outside of classrooms. Those same coaches take the blame when teams do not win or compete as they are expected to. They deflect credit when teams win. But … Continue reading 111 Miles To Raleigh. 1 Team, 1 Goal, and 1 More Game.

In October of 2017, the venerable James Ford of the Public School Forum delivered the keynote address at the North Carolina English Teacher’s Association. It was more than exceptional as Ford highlighted that what hurts our schools most are external factors that are not being dealt with such as systemic poverty. Part of his presentation … Continue reading Why Teachers Should Be Wary of EVAAS and SAS

On February 28th, Douglas Price had an op-ed posted on EdNC.org entitled "Three ideas for addressing key charter school problems." As the Charter School TOY, what he explained and argued in this piece was valuable, well-explained, evenly tempered, and was well-researched. And it took guts. Price is a teacher; he did what great teachers do … Continue reading In Defense of the NC Charter School Teacher of the Year

I imagine most of you have seen the movie Remember the Titans about a public school in Virginia the 1970’s being desegregated and how its football team became a vehicle for positive change. I watch it every chance I get. There’s a hopeless romantic still inside of me that likes a feel-good movie that actually is based … Continue reading Remember, You’re The Titans

"The FBI and federal prosecutors have uncovered a massive bribery scheme to get students admitted to elite universities as recruited athletes and help them cheat on college entrance exams to gain admission. The U.S. Attorney's Office in Boston says the scheme, which it dubbed "Operation Varsity Blues," includes 50 people, including college coaches, actresses and … Continue reading Why This College Admissions Scandal Should Really Make High Schools Mad