Our Public Schools Are Better Than The North Carolina General Assembly Wants You to Believe

Our public schools are better than many lawmakers portray them to be – lawmakers who have never spent time as educators. A lot better. And the problem is not the schools. The problem is the lawmaking body that controls the narrative of how schools are performing. With the constant dialogue that “we must improve schools” … Continue reading Our Public Schools Are Better Than The North Carolina General Assembly Wants You to Believe

NC Should Not Have People Crafting Public School Policy Who Deny Systemic Racism

“No, I don’t think there’s systemic racism." - Dan Forest, October 14th during gubernatorial debate. “I don’t believe in systemic racism." - Mark Robinson, Sept. 19th during Lt. Gov. candidate debate. Think about it. The person who becomes the Lt. Gov. of North Carolina will sit on the NC State Board of Education and will … Continue reading NC Should Not Have People Crafting Public School Policy Who Deny Systemic Racism

2020 Is Showing Us That Local School Board Elections Are That Important For Every NC School System

Throughout North Carolina, every local school board is wrestling with how to manage maintaining safety and reopening school buildings trying to balance what resources they have with the needs of communities while anticipating how this pandemic will continue to play out. They are having to rush to give answers to questions that are fueled by … Continue reading 2020 Is Showing Us That Local School Board Elections Are That Important For Every NC School System

So, How Many Substitute Teachers Does Your School System Really Have?

I work in a school system that has over 80 schools, 50,000+ students, and around 6200 teachers. There are around 1000 substitute teachers on the official sub list in the county. That does not mean that there are 1000 people ready to go to any school on any day for any amount of time. Those … Continue reading So, How Many Substitute Teachers Does Your School System Really Have?

DAN Can’t See The FOREST For The Trees – The Lt. Gov. Intentionally Looking At Public Education With Blinders On

Simply put, there is really no positive thing that Lt. Gov. Dan Forest has done for North Carolina public education. He may tout “hooking” up all schools with high-speed internet, but then he will not stop that from being an avenue for replacing teachers with computerized instruction. He may tout “school choice,” but his record … Continue reading DAN Can’t See The FOREST For The Trees – The Lt. Gov. Intentionally Looking At Public Education With Blinders On

NC Needs To Elect A State Superintendent Who Will Do This For Our Public Schools

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in my native state of Georgia this past summer: Gov. Brian Kemp and state school Superintendent Richard Woods are asking the federal government to waive the public school testing requirement for another school year. And there was more. Georgia will also look to not use a school grading system next year that is … Continue reading NC Needs To Elect A State Superintendent Who Will Do This For Our Public Schools

ALEC, SAS, EVAAS, And Charter School Chains – Looking At The Campaign Contributions For Catherine Truitt

It is perfectly lawful to donate to a political campaign, and with the Citizens United case decision from the Supreme Court a few years back, it is now lawful for corporations to donate money through political action committees (PACs) and Super PACs. However, while it is lawful, it doesn’t mean that some interesting ethical questions … Continue reading ALEC, SAS, EVAAS, And Charter School Chains – Looking At The Campaign Contributions For Catherine Truitt