WRAL.com reported today that the remaining iPads in a central warehouse have now been distributed by Mark Johnson's office after repeated inquiries by news organizations and public school advocates. RALEIGH, N.C. — More than 3,200 iPads sitting in a state warehouse – 2,400 of them for the past year – have all been delivered to school … Continue reading Mark Johnson’s Almost “Oprah” Moment

As it currently stands, iStation's implementation of its products to be used in the state's Read to Achieve initiative currently has a temporary stay in place by the Department of Information Technology. In response, Mark Johnson reminded North Carolinians that he was a lawyer and offered his defiance. In a reaction that has also been … Continue reading About That “Memorandum Of Agreement” Between DPI and iStation – Are You Sure This Is For Free?

In a recent EdNC.org op-ed, Rhonda Dillingham, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools, defended North Carolina’s charter schools from criticism concerning perpetuating segregation. She said, “Since then (1996), charter schools, which will always be free and open to all, have offered exceptional student learning environments and created opportunities for all students nationwide — … Continue reading No. North Carolina’s Charter Schools Are Not As Diverse As Some Would Claim

In 2016, then Rep. Rob Bryan and the House Committee on Education, pushed through a bill that would establish an ASD (Achievement School District) in North Carolina allowing the control of some of the state’s low-performing schools to be outsourced to out-of-state entities. That ASD was renamed the Innovative School District (ISD) in 2017 in … Continue reading Rob Bryan Is Back: The Man Who Brought NC The ISD Is Representing Oregon In The NCGA

I miss Chris Farley. His stint on Saturday Night Live is still memorable. There’s that opening number with Patrick Swayze where he and Swayze were competing for a spot in the Chippendale dancers. Then there’s Matt Foley, a motivational speaker who lives “in a van down by the river.” But my favorite Chris Farley performance was not … Continue reading How Chris Farley and Tommy Boy Accurately Explain Educational Policy in North Carolina

This past Monday, Mark Johnson and DPI announced that it was sending 200 iPads to the K-12 school on Ocracoke Island in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Florence. While it may be easy to use this episode to add comment to the months long saga of Mark Johnson's love relationship with iPads and … Continue reading Mr. State Superintendent, Ocracoke Needs More Than iPads

DPI recently released a list of "qualifying" schools to be considered for the Innovative School District. I sincerely hope that each and every school on this list and their respective school systems, superintendents, school boards, and communities fight like hell to keep from being absorbed into this failure of a educational reform. North Carolina's ISD … Continue reading There Are 12 Qualifying Schools For The ISD. Each Should Fight Not To Be Part Of It.

iStation sent yet another email to parents in North Carolina today just to remind them of how much iStation has to legitimize itself to the people of North Carolina. Never mind that there is a stay in the implementation of iStation issued by the Department of Information Technology in effect (since August 20th). Never mind … Continue reading iStation’s “Aunt Becky” Moment

Kris Nordstrom tweeted the following this past week concerning an August 2019 report about Opportunity Grants applied for and awarded here in the 2019-2020 school year. Barely over 37% of the available money earmarked for these vouchers have been awarded. And this is not a new trend. In 2017-2018, almost $45 million dollars were invested in … Continue reading Yet Another Berger/Moore Partisan Double Standard: The Opportunity Grant Funding Surplus

There is one glaring shortcoming about the Teacher Working Conditions Survey issued by the state every two years in the spring: it should ask about teachers’ views not only of their school, but of their perceptions of the state leadership. You can see the questions that were administered on the 2018 version and the results here:  https://ncteachingconditions.org/results. … Continue reading What If NC Had A Teacher Working Conditions Survey With Questions About State Leadership Given Now?