As August approaches, teachers will begin a new school year and their “step” will increase by another year. That “step” is the number of years served in schools. Not long ago, teachers who served the state for at least ten years would receive what was called “longevity” pay as part of their commitment to public … Continue reading Remember Longevity Pay? It’s Now Eight Years That Teachers Have Been Denied.

North Carolina has a history of adopting terrible education reforms from other states and making them even worse. Tennessee provided the Achievement School District model that eventually became the failed Innovative School District in Robeson County that was recently stopped because it was, well, terrible. Florida (under then Gov. Jeb Bush) provided the framework for … Continue reading “Teachers Are Trained In The Dumbest Parts Of The Dumbest Colleges” And “Involuntary Relocation”

If you are not reading the incredible citizen journalism of teacher Justin Parmenter and his blog Notes From The Chalkboard, then do so. Now. His uncovering of the surreptitious machinations of the new teacher licensure and salary proposals from the PEPSC Committee, DPI, and the Human Capital Roundtable is epic. And it has obviously exposed … Continue reading They Don’t Really Want To Share What They Know. That’s Why All Public School Advocates Should Put In A Public Records Request To DPI.

10 years ago EVAAS was not the powerful yet erroneous value-added measure system used to “label” teachers. It is now. And EVAAS is an integral part of the new teacher licensure / salary proposal that is proposed by the PEPSC Committee. See that merit pay part in the first screenshot? The "multiple measures to demonstrate … Continue reading Remember EVAAS? NC Is Paying 4 Million For It To Have More Power Over Teachers.

And merit pay is what they are aiming for. Take another look at that new “pipeline” to attract and “retain” good teachers. I do not know of a single instance in public education where merit pay actually has increased student achievement. Yet, many lawmakers not only advocate merit pay, but also differential pay based on … Continue reading Just A Reminder That Merit Pay Does Not Work In Education

It's been over two years since the death of George Floyd while in police custody. Last year was the 100th anniversary of the Tulsa race massacre. Last year UNC trustees also denied tenure to Nikole Hannah-Jones, a Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Foundation genius grant winner (and UNC-CH alumna) in what is obviously a political move … Continue reading It’s Independence Day – Why We Need To Teach Real History In Our Schools

And it doesn't even mention that sudden replacement of the chief justice who was overlooking the case this past spring. And we wonder why there are so many vacancies in our schools?

Here is the link to House Bill 1173. The text for the second addition is not long. Actually, it’s very straightforward. Simply put, the bill will make the leader of the Department of Public Instruction also be the chair of the State Board of Education. If this constitutional admendment passes in November, then it would bring … Continue reading This Constitutional Amendment Must Be Struck Down For The Sake Of Our Public Schools

Here is the link to House Bill 1173. The text for the second addition is not long. Actually, it's very straightforward. Simply put, the bill will make the leader of the Department of Public Instruction also be the chair of the State Board of Education. If this constitutional admendment passes in November, then it would … Continue reading House Bill 1173 – A New Attempt At A Gerrymandered Power Grab Of NC Public Schools

It's a special kind of cruel irony that the only state in the country with the lowest legal minimum wage, no collective bargaining rights, no Medicaid expansion, loosely regulated vouchers and charter school expansion, a school performance grading system that measures achievement over growth, and the lowest corporate flat tax in the nation allows for … Continue reading UNIONIZE! NC Teachers (And All Public Employees) Should Have Collective Bargaining Rights