There will be a State Board of Education Meeting today. One of the items on the agenda concerns the 2020-2021 K-3 reading diagnostic tools that can be used by LEAs. Mark Johnson will be leading that discussion. On the list of possible vendors are the following: The only ones that made the "approved list are … Continue reading Mark Johnson – Still Working For iStation? Look Who Made (And Didn’t) The Approved Vendor List

This morning's "Monday's Numbers" segment in NC Policy Watch put together by Clayton Henkel is a collection of some rather sobering numbers from polls and estimates concerning how COVID-19 has affected schools and those who work and learn there. Below are the "categories" for which numbers and percentages are given. Please click this link to … Continue reading Some Eye-Opening Numbers About Reopening Schools In NC

... and does not offer the resources for every educator to protect him or herself from the spread of the virus, ... does not offer each bus driver, support staff, or anyone who comes into contact with students the proper equipment to keep safe, ... does not fight like hell to get the funding to … Continue reading For Every NC Lawmaker Who Wants To Open Up Schools In August…

Remember when the North Carolina General Assembly eliminated the Teaching Fellows Program a few years back? They then "recreated" it to develop more STEM-related subject teachers in our schools because of the emphasis on STEM curriculum. From EdNC.org: The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction even has a program to promote STEM education. Even the … Continue reading The Hypocrisy Of Promoting STEM Education In NC

Millions of dollars for iPads - many of which ended up in a warehouse. Then there was that thing with ClassWallet. And we are still trying to get over the whole iStation contract debacle. Don't forget the million dollar price tag to "audit" DPI to determine how many more cuts should be made in the … Continue reading Yet Another Example Of Why Mark Johnson Was The Wrong Person For The Job

It was just confirmed that Sen. Jerry Tillman is resigning as a state senator. Sen. Jerry Tillman is a former teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools who retired long ago. He then became one of the biggest champions of reforming the very public school system from which he gets his pension. And those reforms have … Continue reading Good News For NC Public Schools – Sen. Jerry Tillman Is Resigning

If you have not heard just yet, Art Pope has been nominated to finish the term of resigning UNC Board of Governor Bob Rucho. Most public school advocates know of Art Pope as the founder of libertarian think tanks the John Locke Foundation and the James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal. The John Locke Foundation (and … Continue reading Moving Toward Dystopian Higher Ed In North Carolina: Art Pope’s Appointment The The UNC Board

From just the last two days. https://twitter.com/i/status/1275912010555932672 https://twitter.com/i/status/1275582279289581571 When nebulous standardized tests become the way to measure "student achievement" and curriculum is written within a framework of societal dominance instead of truth, we get this. When we have people in power who spend time denying science and using rhetoric to divide, we get this. Please … Continue reading 5G, Pancake Syrup, And A Cow – What Will Future Students Think When They Study 2020?

This past Monday in the Charlotte Observer, state senator Kathy Harrington from Gaston County penned an op-ed entitled "NC Republicans have provided meaningful teacher raises." She begins: "For years, Democrats have seized upon teacher pay as an electioneering tool to convince people to vote for them. The logic goes something like this: Teachers educate your … Continue reading Sen. Kathy Harrington Penned An Op-Ed About Teacher Pay In NC -It’s Grossly Misleading

Yesterday the libertarian think tank John Locke Foundation hosted an online event to talk about the LEANDRO case in NC and the judicial system's ruling concerning the funding of public schools. Please remember that the John Locke Foundation is one of two official North Carolina affiliates of the State Policy Network established by the Koch … Continue reading Concerning The John Locke Foundation’s “Perspective” On The LEANDRO Ruling