Truitt is a former teacher, turnaround coach, associate vice president of University and P-12 Partnerships at UNC General Administration, and former senior education advisor to Republican Gov. Pat McCrory. (From an EdNC.org report entitled “Will state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mark Johnson run again?”) Currently she is the chancellor of Western Governor’s University of North Carolina. … Continue reading Catherine Truitt Is Running For State Superintendent. You Might Want See What She Has Claimed In 2016 About Public Education Here In NC.

One only has to look at the voting record, listen to comments made, and investigate who is financing his campaign to know that Craig Horn should never become the state superintendent of North Carolina's public schools. A Charlotte Observer article this morning outlined the top donors for all candidates in the state superintendents primaries this … Continue reading Just Look At Craig Horn’s Campaign Finances – He Should Never Become State Superintendent

Mark Johnson claims that he wants to change the “establishment.” But in reality he wants to protect the “establishment.” In fact, he is the “establishment.” The term “establishment” has become something of a nebulous term in elections. This use of the “status quo” fallacy is not new, certainly for Mark Johnson. And it is a … Continue reading Did You Get A Text From Mark Johnson To Help Him Fight The “Establishment?” Well, He Is The “Establishment.”

“My family is the biggest contributor of soft money to the Republican National Committee. I have decided to stop taking offense at the suggestion that we are buying influence. Now I simply concede the point. They are right. We do expect something in return. We expect to foster a conservative governing philosophy consisting of limited government and … Continue reading Following the Money – Remembering Who Helped Finance Mark Johnson’s 2016 Campaign

Within the past five days, the Mike Bloomberg campaign has directly sent to me more fliers than our state superintendent. And while it is safe to assume that the taxpayers of North Carolina did not foot the bill to print and distribute these, there is one particular similarity- After next Tuesday, both may stop sending … Continue reading Just Found Someone Who Sends Out More Glossy Fliers Than Mark Johnson

Throughout North Carolina, 2020 is another big year for many local school board elections and each is of vital importance. Of all the 2018 primary political signs that were spread throughout the city where I reside, at least three of four deal with local school board elections. This is not an anomaly. I cannot remember … Continue reading Are They Willing to Confront State Lawmakers on Behalf of Public Schools? Why Local School Board Elections Are So Important in 2020 for Every NC School System

Two quotes highlighted in a July 10th, 2019 WRAL editorial were really glaring. And that editorial should be required reading because it correctly stated that the NCGA powers-that-be are more interested in giving more corporate tax cuts than fully-funding our public schools. It was a stunning confession. It says far more than state Rep. Craig … Continue reading What Lawmakers Are Really Saying Is That They Actually Fear A Well-Educated General Public

Following educational researchers, journalists, and policy analysts on outlets like Twitter can be incredibly useful in gauging the dialogue that helps to drive policy. Many times it can put into your reach studies that are not only revealing but have concrete data that flies in the face of those pushing "reforms" in public education. One … Continue reading Here’s One For Raleigh: “In the long run school spending increases substantially boost test scores and graduation rates.”

I am currently in my fifteenth year of teaching here in my second stint in North Carolina. Before I moved to the metro Atlanta area, I had taught two other years in the same system where I now work. When I came back as a "new" teacher, Phil Berger and Tim Moore were not in … Continue reading The Wayback Machine: What New Teachers Got Then Versus Now in NC

Last October (10/29), Rob Schofield published a piece on NC Policy Watch explaining the negative effects of the budget that Sen. Phil Berger and others in the NCGA were pushing (and actually are still pushing with the current impasse )in the NCGA. The second effect dealt with public education. #2 – Further undermining the state’s desperately … Continue reading Thinking About The Leandro Case: What NC Is Spending For Public Schools – 2008-2009 Versus 2019-2020