This morning Rob Schofield published a piece on NC Policy Watch explaining the negative effects of the budget that Sen. Phil Berger and others in the NCGA are pushing. The second dealt with public education. #2 – Further undermining the state’s desperately underfunded public schools – As veteran education policy analyst Kris Nordstrom explained in July, … Continue reading What NC Is Spending For Public Schools – 2008-2009 Versus 2019-2020

At least in the WSFCS system, this past Friday marked the end of the first quarter of the school year. For those classes that are on the block schedule, that means that one-half of the course is complete. According to DPI: EVAAS provides North Carolina's educators with tools to improve student learning and to reflect … Continue reading Half A Semester Has Passed – Gotten Your EVAAS Projections Yet?

When a school in North Carolina is graded by the School Performance Grading system it is based on student achievement as measured by chosen standardized tests and the growth that students have shown based on EVAAS growth on selected standardized tests. But with all of the "reforms" that have been enacted in this state because … Continue reading So, What Makes a North Carolina Public School A Failing School?

"I'm not a teacher. I've never been a teacher," he said. "But people pointed out, superintendents don't teach, superintendents manage." - WRAL.com, October 18, 2019. Horn is an almost eight-year veteran of the Air Force. After that, he made his living as a food broker, retiring in 2002 from his business which he says was the largest … Continue reading NC’s State Superintendent Should Be An Educational Leader, Not a Manager

With the buzz that Rep. Craig Horn may enter the race for state superintendent, there has been more speculation as to whether Mark Johnson will run for reelection. Today on EdNC.org, Alex Granados published a piece exploring who possibly will be running from the Republican Party. Both Craig Horn and Catherine Truitt have stated they … Continue reading Don’t Think Mark Johnson Is Running For State Super

From WRAL on October 23rd: Teachers hoping to finally see a salary increase this year will have to wait a while longer. That was the word from Senate Republican leaders Wednesday as they rolled out two "mini-budgets" providing funding for other increases in education and retiree compensation. House Bill 377 provides money for scheduled "step" … Continue reading Really, It’s Just The NCGA’s Spite Against Public School Teachers Who Want More For Public Schools

Want to see how this NCGA values its teachers, especially its veterans? Below is the proposed salary schedule released last June 2019-2020. Since it is part of the vetoed budget that Phil Berger and Tim Moore have never compromised upon, it is not in effect. But what if it did. For the first 15 years … Continue reading Again, Devaluing Veteran Teachers – Looking at the Proposed NCGA Senate Salary “Step Increase” for 2019-2020

This is what UNC-Chapel Hill looks for in a potential "college-ready" student. There’s no specific set of qualities or accomplishments we’re looking for. Instead, we look for evidence that you are the type of person who sees opportunity in every challenge, who likes to tackle problems, and who will encourage classmates to greatness. We don’t … Continue reading Students Are So Much Than Test Scores: How NC “Measures” Students VS. How Colleges Measure Them

This Saturday, Oct. 26th, the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Winston-Salem will be hosting its annual Buddy Walk. For those who are not familiar with the Buddy Walk, here is the blurb from the DSAGWS.org website: The Buddy Walk® was created by the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) in 1995 to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness … Continue reading Malcolm’s Minions – A Chance to be Ultra-Cool For a Day

From elizabethwarren.com: As public school teachers across the country know, our schools do not have the financial resources they need to deliver a quality public education for every child.That’s why my plan invests hundreds of billions of dollars in our public schools - paid for by a two-cent wealth tax on fortunes above $50 million … Continue reading Have You Heard About Elizabeth Warren’s Plan For Public Education?