You may not recall, but back in 2013, there was a major push in the NCGA to require that schools teach cursive writing. From the erudite Lindsay Wagner, who worked for NC Policy Watch then: As reported in March, the House Education Committee is considering HB 146, Back to Basics, which would mandate mastery of cursive … Continue reading Even Written in Cursive, What the NCGA is Trying to Do With Public Education is Bad
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Congratulations North Carolina General Assembly – By Passing HB514, You Just Set Our State Back Decades
Just A few minutes ago, the House in the NCGA just voted to approve the Municipal Charter School bill 64-53. And because it is a local bill, it does not require the governor's approval. This is beyond egregious and potentially sets North Carolina back decades as far as treating all people equally. It exacerbates an … Continue reading Congratulations North Carolina General Assembly – By Passing HB514, You Just Set Our State Back Decades
The First Movie I Will Show Next School Year: “A Confederacy of Redundancies” – To Be Filmed This Summer
If you have never read the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, A Confederacy of Dunces, then do yourself a favor and get a copy. It’s exquisite. It’s about an out-of-shape anti-hero who sells hot dogs and frets over a supposed heart-condition in New Orleans who is courting a radical gal from New York and ultimately survives a parrot … Continue reading The First Movie I Will Show Next School Year: “A Confederacy of Redundancies” – To Be Filmed This Summer
The North Carolina General Assembly Should Pass HB 1051 – Restore Master’s Supplement for Teachers
The GOP-led NC legislature’s 2013 decision to end graduate degree pay bumps for new teachers entering the teaching profession was not only misguided, but another wave in the assault on public education here in the Old North State. I confess there exist numerous studies that have shown that advanced degrees do not correlate with higher … Continue reading The North Carolina General Assembly Should Pass HB 1051 – Restore Master’s Supplement for Teachers
Public Education is a Common Good, Not a Consumer Good
Early in the fall of 2016, I was asked to do a panel discussion on public education at UNC-Charlotte with a variety of other stakeholders in the state. There were teachers, social activists, think tank reps, and a couple of advocacy groups. At one point in the conversation, a representative from a well-known libertarian think … Continue reading Public Education is a Common Good, Not a Consumer Good
About That NC State Study on NC’s Voucher Program – It’s Paid For Propaganda
A June 2nd report in the News & Observer by Ned Barnett entitled “Three out of four N.C. voucher schools fail on curriculum” highlighted the findings of the NC Chapter of the League of Women Voters on the state’s voucher program. It states, Fundamentalist Christian schools are receiving most of the money from North Carolina's … Continue reading About That NC State Study on NC’s Voucher Program – It’s Paid For Propaganda
Where Is State Superintendent Mark Johnson? When Silence Becomes Complicity
In the past week, North Carolinians have seen a budget that pays nothing more than lip service and give some crumbs to public education in a budget process kept out of debate and amendments. They have seen one bill propose to log any video shown by a teacher in a classroom to be kept in … Continue reading Where Is State Superintendent Mark Johnson? When Silence Becomes Complicity
North Carolina’s New State Bird and State Fish – The Ravenous Lame Duck and the Red Herring
North Carolina has the dogwood as the state flower, the cardinal as the state bird, the plott hound as the state dog, the Fraser Fir as the state Christmas tree, and the emerald as the state gem. We also have the channel bass (red drum) as the state fish. But a couple of those need to … Continue reading North Carolina’s New State Bird and State Fish – The Ravenous Lame Duck and the Red Herring
HB1079 : Rep. Burr’s Orwellian, Puritanical Bill to Censor Classrooms – One Teacher’s Proposed Video List
Rep. Justin Burr, a five-time incumbent to the North Carolina General Assembly who was recently defeated in his primary for another term, has filed a bill in the General Assembly to force local school boards to provide a list of all movies shown in any classroom in the district to the state superintendent’s office. A … Continue reading HB1079 : Rep. Burr’s Orwellian, Puritanical Bill to Censor Classrooms – One Teacher’s Proposed Video List
Now, That Was Special: Concerning Rep. Speciale’s Comments About Respect for Teachers
“Respect is earned; it’s not demanded.” – Rep. Michael Speciale Well isn’t that special! Actually, it’s not that special coming from Speciale. This teacher would not have expected anything else to come from his lips concerning the teacher rally and march this past May 16th. If anything, it is rather consistent with what he has … Continue reading Now, That Was Special: Concerning Rep. Speciale’s Comments About Respect for Teachers
caffeinated rage 