Hi Mr. Wilson. We've met. In 2016, I wrote a post about what the state of North Carolina had done to the public school system over the last few years and Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post published it as part of The Answer Sheet education blog. You were the spokesperson for then Governor Pat … Continue reading An Open Letter To Graham Wilson, Mark Johnson’s Spokesperson, Concerning His Pathetic Words About A Teacher

An "Opportunity Grant" in North Carolina is worth up to $4200 a year to cover (or help cover) tuition at a non-public participating school. According to the Private School Review, there are 35 private schools in North Carolina for which an Opportunity Grant could cover the entire tuition ($4200 or less). All 35 are religiously … Continue reading Financing An Academic Theocracy With Public Money – North Carolina’s Voucher System

The GOP-led NC legislature’s 2013 decision to end graduate degree pay bumps for new teachers entering the teaching profession was not only misguided, but another wave in the assault on public education that continues here in the Old North State. And the very person who has influenced more policy on public education since 2013, Sen. … Continue reading Here’s A Way To Recruit & Retain Great Teachers In NC – Restore Graduate Degree Pay

This is just a personal opinion, but it must simply suck to be the spokesperson for State Superintendent Mark Johnson and have to "explain" some of the electioneering antics he has used to "promote" himself. Johnson makes a personal webpage to steer people away from the official DPI site and Graham Wilson has to explain … Continue reading So We Can “Opt Out?” Interesting.

Another disingenuous "explanation" of the overall success of charter schools here in North Carolina appeared on EdNC.org this week. And it invoked Mark Twain. This one was penned by Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Executive Director of the North Carolina Coalition for Charter Schools. In an effort to "rebut" the criticism of the latest Charter School Advisory … Continue reading Yes. Facts Do Matter When Talking About North Carolina’s Charter Schools.

For years the official state motto for North Carolina has been “Esse quam videri” which is Latin for “To be, rather than to seem.”  This motto (along with “In God We Trust”) was part of a 2018 bill that would have had all public schools in North Carolina display such words for all to see. … Continue reading “To Seem, Rather Than to Be” – The Motto of the State Superintendent

Rep. Jeffrey Elmore talked in an op-ed this past July about how great teacher pay has become in North Carolina over the last few years. Besides never referring to the fact that furloughs and freezes were due to the Great Recession, Elmore clearly argues a fallacious talking point that seems to constantly need debunking. He said, When … Continue reading In This Election Year, Lawmakers Are Going to Brag That The Average NC Teacher Salary is $53,975. That Is Grossly Misleading.

The last couple of years have proven that the Read to Achieve initiative championed by Phil Berger has failed to do what it was promoted to do. The recent iStation procurement scandals and the iPad purchasing debacle by Berger's puppet Mark Johnson are just extensions of that still failing piece of "reform." Kris Nordstrom summed … Continue reading Dammit, North Carolina! Stop Looking At Florida As A Model For Public Education.

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 – Mark Johnson’s Allegiance to SAS and EVAAS

Last November, Lt. Gov. Dan Forest released his plan for expanded school choice as part of his platform in running for governor. Actually, Forest has been running for governor for years as most of his actions as the state’s “second in command” has been focused on campaigning against the current governor, Roy Cooper. While Forest’s … Continue reading Dan Forest’s Education Platform: Puritanically Privatizing NC’s Public School System With Vouchers