Mark Johnson's recent budget proposals for the next biennial budget cycle are simply proposals. They are requests for monies attached to "reforms" or investments in resources. Some deal with mentoring and helping younger teachers become more acclimated to the education profession. Some deal with "advanced roles" for teachers. Some deal with curricula that focus on … Continue reading One Resource All Teachers Need But is Never “Funded” For : TIME

In the summer of 2017, BEST NC released an op-ed on EdNC.org about Shamrock Gardens Elementary School and their use of "advanced roles" for educators. And the piece made reference to BEST NC's Education Innovation Plan, a bit of which is outlined below. The key to Shamrock Gardens’ remarkable success is not based on just one … Continue reading When Education Reformers in NC Talk About Advanced Roles, Did They Mean This?

A little over three years ago, an extended editorial appeared in newspapers across North Carolina concerning public education. I happened to read it in the Winston-Salem Journal. It was written by Walter McDowell, a board member of BEST NC. McDowell, a former executive with Wachovia, talked of the dire need to transform education in North Carolina. … Continue reading Mark Johnson Wants To Reduce Over-Testing? Then Do Not Let the ACT Have This Much Power Over NC High Schools.

This past week Mark Johnson released his budget recommendations for the next two-year cycle for the North Carolina General Assembly to use in their shaky investment in NC's public schools. He published those recommendations on his website. And here is an interesting segment: There is a $750K request for TeachNC which was described by Kelly … Continue reading Give That Money to Expand The North Carolina Teaching Fellows Program to Its Original State

In January of 2017 it was all about "urgency". In the first six months of 2017 it was all about a "listening tour." In all of 2017 into 2018, it was about a legal fight with a state board of education under control of the same political party about who had the most control over … Continue reading So Is Mark Johnson Running for Reelection?

You can have all of the talent in the world. You can have every resource at your disposal. You can have every appearance of being a winner. But you may never be a champion. Why? Because it's an “inside job.” Today's victory in the Western Regional Championship game by the Titans Girls Basketball team will be … Continue reading The Cardiac Kids From Clemmons, NC

BEST NC is a non-profit, non-partisan coalition of business leaders committed to improving North Carolina’s education system through policy and advocacy – from http://best-nc.org/. As business leaders, we understand how critical talent management is to the success of any organization. Currently, North Carolina lacks a talent plan that will successfully recruit and retain excellent educators from … Continue reading Dear BEST NC, You Want to Expand The FIT Initiative, But Where Do You Stand on These Vital Issues?

North Carolina made national news again with another bill that involves teachers and guns. On March 8, CNN posted a piece on its website entitled "North Carolina teachers who carry guns to school could get a pay raise under a new bill." Filed on Wednesday, the School Security Act of 2019 would give a 5% salary boost … Continue reading Would Like to Know Where Mark Johnson Stands On SB192

Yep. He's right. Graduation rates in NC have gone up. In his response to Gov. Roy Cooper's "State of the State" address, Berger did selectively say this: “Since 2011, the gap in high school graduation rates between African-American students and all students has been cut in half, from 6.4 percent to 3.1 percent.”  And the … Continue reading Sen. Berger’s Comments on Graduation Rates, One of the Most Manipulated Statistics in Public Education

From today's News & Observer about the new average teacher pay in North Carolina: The average salary for a North Carolina public school teacher has risen 5 percent to nearly $54,000 this year. New figures released Wednesday by the state Department of Public Instruction estimate the average salary for teachers to be $53,975 — $2,741 more than the … Continue reading The Average NC Teacher Salary is $53,975. Here’s Why That is Misleading.