Think of these actions over the last ten years in North Carolina as far as public education is concerned: Teacher Pay Removal of due-process rights for new teachersGraduate Degree Pay Bumps Removed Push for Merit Pay “Average” RaisesHealth Insurance and Benefits ChangesAttacks on Teacher Advocacy Groups (NCAE) Revolving Door of Standardized Tests Less Money Spent per Pupil When Adjusted For … Continue reading North Carolina Has a Severe Teacher & Teacher Candidate Shortage – Raleigh Deliberately Created It

Many have asked me over the years if a teacher can be a school board member and still be in the classroom. At least in my LEA, one cannot. Many teachers over the years have run for positions on the school board, but each has had to stipulate that he/she would step away from the … Continue reading Every Local School Board Should Allow A Public School Teacher To Serve

Yes. The primaries are fast approaching. And it seems like every political sign that I see on the sides of roads and at interchanges is for one particular race: the local school board. Throw around terms like "CRT," "learning loss," "mask mandates," "indoctrination," and "transparency," add to them some righteous anger, and you have some … Continue reading Dear School Board Candidate Running For These Reasons…

Yes, public education is political. But it does not have to be partisan. Yet, in the last few years, more and more local school board elections are becoming partisan races steering school systems by a GPS system based on political dogma and controlled in Raleigh rather than what is best for the local school system. … Continue reading Local School Boards Should Not Be Partisan

Before any discussion about a new path for teacher licensure and teacher pay takes place (espcially coming back from a pandemic), maybe look at what should be "undone" that put this state in the postion it is in now. Before we even think about something as ludicrous as this - - we should do the … Continue reading Hey NC! Want To Recruit & Retain A Vibrant Teaching Force? Do (Or Undo) These 20 Actions.

There is a reason that we read serious works of literature. And others can say why much better than I can. “I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten; even so, they have made me.”― Ralph Waldo Emerson“We read to know we are not alone.”— William Nicholson (often attributed … Continue reading A Syllabus For Those In The NCGA And Other “Reformers” Who Want To Change What Students Read

If you have not read Peter Greene's excellent take on the new North Carolina licensure and pay plan for teachers, please do. It references great work done by NC's own Justin Parmenter ( and a shout out also needs to be given to Kim Mackey's work in further exposing this horrible plan). Aside from the … Continue reading So, Would You Want To Measured By Student Surveys?

You can be either “at” the table or “on” the table. For teachers in North Carolina, there are many other prepositions that could identify the relationship between the legislation process and teacher input such as “under” the table, “without” a place at the table, or not “behind” those closed doors. As a veteran public school … Continue reading “At” The Table or “On” the Menu: Reclaiming a Voice As Teachers in Public School Policy

Remember last month when State Supt. Catherine Truitt wrote that “attrition rates” in our teaching force have been relatively stable? “The results: remarkable stability. Overall, North Carolina teacher attrition increased from 7.5% to 8.2%. Of the 94,328 teachers employed by the state, 624 more left the teaching profession than the year before. In fact, dissatisfaction within the teaching … Continue reading Revisiting That Stable Attrition Rates For Teachers Claim

If you have been paying attention to the new proposed teacher licensure and pay plan, you will see that it has the fingerprints of BEST NC all over it. And that's just the latest "bad idea" that BEST NC has been trying to push through DPI and the NCGA. Remember Michelle Rhee’s visit to North … Continue reading These People Should Not Craft Policy For NC Public Education – Why BEST NC Is Not “Best” For NC