Author: caffeinatedrage

North Carolina: The Ongoing Destruction of Public Education

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Thanks to Dr. Ravitch for keeping North Carolina in the light for others to see.

dianeravitch's avatarDiane Ravitch's blog

Wake up, people of North Carolina! The legislators in your state are pummeling your public schools with a sledge hammer. They are turning them over to for-profit corporations! Do you want your local public school to be run by a national corporation? Do you care who “owns” your neighborhood school?

Stuart Egan, a high school teacher in North Carolina, has been writing recently about the step-by-step privatization of public schools in North Carolina.

In this post, he describes the General Assembly’s decision to create an “Achievement School District,” modeled on the one that failed in Tennessee. The basic idea is to gather up the lowest-performing schools in the state (attended by the poorest students) and turn them over to a charter operator.

He cites the comment made by Rep. Cecil Brockman, who favors outsourcing these schools to out-of-state corporations:

Perhaps the most frustrating moment of the final debate came when…

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Gollum and his “Precious” – The Achievement School District and What is in Its Pocketses

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Yep - I went there.   In the latest besmirching of public schools, leaders of the Senate Education Committee gave their approval to an Achievement School District in North Carolina, a GOP backed endeavor that places low performing schools from poverty stricken areas in the hands of out-of-state, for-profit charter organizations. Past ASD “experiments” have … Continue reading Gollum and his “Precious” – The Achievement School District and What is in Its Pocketses

TABOR – A Tourniquet Around the Bloodlines of Our Republic

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TABOR. To many in the NCGA it is called the TAxpayer Bill of Rights. Makes it sound like it truly benefits those in our state. It doesn’t. It’s just another catchy acronym that acts like a Trojan horse for something more destructive. Acronyms are easy to shape and easier to sound beneficial. However, the “benefits” … Continue reading TABOR – A Tourniquet Around the Bloodlines of Our Republic

SB867 – Background Checking The Right to Bare Arms

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Again, irony makes this world go round. In an effort to wrap up the long session of the North Carolina General Assembly in record fashion, the reactionary creators of HB2, vouchers, unregulated charter school growth, and limited health care options are proffering one more reactionary measure to pass, probably with a midnight session. Senate Bill … Continue reading SB867 – Background Checking The Right to Bare Arms

The Toughest Job in NC – Being Gov. McCrory’s Press Secretary

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This week the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system announced that it would allow the system’s transgender students to choose whatever bathroom fit their gender identification for this next upcoming school year, a move that has struck the nerve of one Gov. Pat McCrory. In a directly proactive move to accommodate students, CMS boldly did something for its … Continue reading The Toughest Job in NC – Being Gov. McCrory’s Press Secretary

Civil Disobedience in North Carolina – Read and Don’t Thoreau It Away

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"If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth - certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider … Continue reading Civil Disobedience in North Carolina – Read and Don’t Thoreau It Away

Have a Seat And Let Them Smell The Bulls##t

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Sometimes you need to stop to smell the flowers. Sometimes you need to sit down to force others to smell the bullshit. Here’s an image from WNCN of some of the teachers last week who staged a “sit-in” on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh to bring attention to the governor’s lack of action on public education … Continue reading Have a Seat And Let Them Smell The Bulls##t

Politics and the God Complex – Putting Jesus on the Ticket

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“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door … Continue reading Politics and the God Complex – Putting Jesus on the Ticket

“License Plates For Lawmakers”, Part 2

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AS I have said before, North Carolina’s Department of Motor Vehicles allows car owners to purchase a customized license plate and personalize it with individual text and numbers – as long as it is not already taken by another motorist or it is too inappropriate. Monies collected go to the state with a donation made … Continue reading “License Plates For Lawmakers”, Part 2

McCrory’s Didaskalithedemosiophobia -A Clinical Term I Just Made Up But Actually Exists

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Didaskalovertitaphobia – the actual fear of schools based on Greek roots found in the list of phobias In the wake of last week’s demonstration organized by Organize 2020 where 14 educators were arrested, I have wondered exactly how many times Gov. McCrory has willingly met with teachers who have asked for a meeting. Those teachers … Continue reading McCrory’s Didaskalithedemosiophobia -A Clinical Term I Just Made Up But Actually Exists