When the country was in the grips of the Great Recession over a decade ago, public education in this state took some of the biggest cuts in funding – cuts that were never really restored as the economy regained momentum and rebounded. One only has to see the level of per-pupil expenditures in 2019-2020 compared … Continue reading Actually Now Is The Time To Invest In NC’s Public Schools

It seems more fictional United States Presidents have had to be escorted to the White House Bunker Room than actual presidents. There's that scene in X-Men: Days of Future Past from 2014 where the Nixon character goes with guards to the White House Bunker. Of course, Magneto literally rips it out of the ground. That … Continue reading Donald Trump Is “Underneath The Bunker”

George Floyd. Impeachment. COVID-19 pandemic. Harvey Weinstein. Withdrawal from WHO. Double-Digit Unemployment. Relations with Iran and China. Shootings in Milwaukee, Baltimore, Texas, Louisiana. The President's Twitter Account. Hydroxychloroquine. Bleach and Sunlight. Richard Burr. Stimulus. Almost 1.8 cases of coronavirus in US. Over 100,000 American deaths due to coronavirus. And this is just from today: And … Continue reading The Real Classroom Of 2020

NPR recently published a report on the effects of distance learning on students from low-income householdsand on students with special needs. "Four out of 10 of the poorest U.S. students are accessing remote learning as little as once a week or less, according to a new survey from ParentsTogether, an advocacy group. By contrast, for … Continue reading About “Learning Gaps For Low-Income And Special Needs” Students

  So... Have they met yet? Mark? (And if they have... Where are the minutes?)  

I have been fortunate to have the energy to maintain this blog and keep it as updated as possible for the last four years. And what a wild four years they have been for public education in this state. For a good while, this blog has averaged at least a post a day and tried … Continue reading A Note To Readers Of CAFFEINATED RAGE – Thanks And A Change

Remember this? In 2016, then Rep. Rob Bryan and the House Committee on Education, pushed through a bill that would establish an ASD (Achievement School District) in North Carolina allowing the control of some of the state’s low-performing schools to be outsourced to out-of-state entities. That ASD was renamed the Innovative School District (ISD) in … Continue reading Another Horrible Bill From The Man Who Brought NC The Failed Innovative School District

How and when public schools open this next school year are questions that have only begun to be asked. But from what we already know from history is that even with a surplus in the budget, Phil Berger and Tim Moore will be sure not to fully fund public schools even though they constantly measure … Continue reading Dear NCGA, Go Ahead And Waive Standardized State Tests And School Performance Grades For Next Year

Yes. A lot of people are wanting schools to open up again in the fall on schedule which is a tad bit ironic in that we are still in the 2019-2020 school year. We still have at least 11 weeks until the school schedule for most NC traditional public schools is set to begin the … Continue reading Open Schools ASAP? Only If That Means “As Safe As Possible.”

Late last week, the State Board of Education approved requirements for remote learning in the anticipation that some form of remote learning will be part of the 2020-2021 school year for all public schools. This bulletin was released last Thursday. The last part of that release highlighted five specific requirements for each school system. Consulting … Continue reading About Those State Board of Education Requirements For 2020-2021 Remote Instruction Plans