There seems to be something amiss when your high school’s football team plays a home game before students even attend their first class. Why? Because we start school too late in North Carolina. As it stands right now, a special provision in the budget bill in the 2012 legislative session (Senate Bill 187, Session Law … Continue reading Again, Why Do We Have Exams After The Winter Break? Change The Calendar!

Like every other year, 2019 has been a rather contentious, perplexing, and frustrating year for public school advocates. There is simply a lot working against us. However, that only means that we keep fighting for public schools. As the new year arrives, it might be worthwhile to review the top public education issues that surround … Continue reading The Top Educational Issues From 2019 That Need Our Attention in 2020

Dear Santa, With gerrymandered districts and continued emphasis on using public taxpayer money to finance unproven reform efforts that do more to privatize and divide our student bodies, I thought it might be worth adding a few items to my holiday wish list. Sure, I want efforts to clean our environment and hold entities accountable … Continue reading This North Carolina Teacher’s Letter to Santa

Since we are in the heart of the holiday season, I tend to think of this part of Dickens’s classic holiday novella. “At this festive season of the year, Mr. Scrooge,” said the gentleman, taking up a pen, “it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and … Continue reading “Pro-Life” Means Taking Care Of Those Who Are Already Born

Mark Johnson is officially running for LT. Governor of North Carolina. He is going to fight the "Deep State." From NC Policy Watch: So what is the "Deep State?" "Influential members of government" involved in the "manipulation or control of policy?" Or maybe the manipulation of how the public views government policy like public education? … Continue reading Dear Mark Johnson: I Just Found That “Deep State” – Go Get ‘ Em!

It should not take a festive holiday season for people to realize that prioritizing the needs of others is of utmost importance. That's absolutely one of the most wonderful things about working with teachers and other public school professionals in our public schools: they constantly prioritize the needs of students. And those needs are not … Continue reading One Of The Best Gifts We Give Our Students And Should Ask Others To Give As Well

The graphics below chart actual data during the time that Craig Horn has been a member of the North Carolina General Assembly. They also are linked to policies and mandates created while Gov. Pat McCrory was governor. Catherine Truitt was McCrory's Senior Advisor on Education for part of his term. It would be interesting to … Continue reading Craig Horn And Catherine Truitt Are Running For State Superintendent. They Need To Explain Some Things.

Over 50% of the state budget for NC is spent on public education. Currently it stands around 56-57%. And yes that is above the national average. And there is a reason for that. Before we had a Republican-controlled legislature, the state spent an even higher percentage on public education because THAT IS WHAT THE STATE … Continue reading A Vote For Dan Forest Is A Vote For Betsy DeVos And The Privatization Of Public Education In NC

When lawmakers look at a school performance grade, do they even consider the other variables that help define a school. (And the following list is by no means complete). Does the school report card show how successful graduates are in post-secondary educational endeavors like Virginia which has dropped the performance grading system? Does the school … Continue reading To The North Carolinian Gerrymandering & ALEC-Aligned Lawmaker Who Believes The Current School Performance Grading System Is Valid

During exams last year, the largest obstacles and tallest hurdles concerning giving exams dealt with technological issues. That's because a vast majority of them were online. This year, they are all online. And they begin a week after the winter break. Knock out the Ethernet connections to a couple of buildings, have a bad connection … Continue reading Give Schools and Students The Choice to Take Paper & Pencil Versions Of State Tests