“We, the citizens of America, are now joined in a great national effort to rebuild our country and restore its promise for all of our people. Together we will determine the course of America and the world for many, many years to come.” – Donald Trump, Jan. 2017. Those words began the inaugural address of one Donald Trump … Continue reading Philomath Is Where “Mr. Citywide, Hypnotized, Suit-and-Tied” Needs To Go – Trump’s Fable Of Reconstruction

There has been an incredible emphasis on the STEM curriculum approach in our public schools. And I fear that because of the limiting of resources and reduction of per-pupil funding by our state government that other subject areas have and will suffer for it especially in wake of this virus-induced economic downturn. There is no … Continue reading We Need The Arts And Humanities In Our Public Schools More Than Ever

National unemployment is now at levels not seen since the Great Depression. The state of North Carolina now has almost 14K cases of COVID-19 reported in this pandemic. School buildings have been shut down for eight weeks. We just entered Phase I of Gov. Cooper's plan to reopen the economy. We still have no new … Continue reading Thank God! The NCGA Has A Bill To Make The Rhododendron The State Shrub

Think of a student who has been elected the president of the student body and is a student leader on the panel to investigate infractions of academic honor codes. That student becomes privy to confidential information (answer keys, copies of the test) that would make his transcript look better in the eyes of the most … Continue reading Imagine The Scenario: Sen. Richard Burr As A High School Student

By now many of you have heard or read about the damning state audit report of DPI for the 2019 year that found some rather gross negligence of tracking federal grant money. Of course, Mark Johnson deflected all responsbility to others. It's never his fault. Yet, hours after that report came out, the Chief Financial … Continue reading And He’s Terrible At Scapegoating: Fallout From NCDPI’s Audit

The ill-timed and ill-purposed bill that Sen. Ralph Hise filed on Tuesday intends to remove all income requirements for obtaining a voucher to use in attending private schools in NC. As reported on NC Policy Watch this morning: A senate bill filed Tuesday would remove income eligibility requirements for the state’s so-called “Opportunity Scholarships” created … Continue reading So Sen. Hise, The Opportunity Grants Aren’t About Helping Low-Income Students After All?

There is no question that we are facing an economic recession and high unemployment rates that are unrivaled in the past few decades. This is a reminder of how well we treated public schools in the recovery from the last Great Recession of 2008. North Carolina is one of seven states with the deepest cuts … Continue reading Remember How Well The NCGA Treated Public Schools After The Last Recession

Here is a copy of a bill filed today. Talk about privatizing public education and taking advantage of a pandemic and certain economic recession. Just read that first part again. AN ACT TO CHANGE THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP GRANT FUND PROGRAM TO ALLOW ANY STUDENT ELIGIBLE TO ATTEND A NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC … Continue reading Senator Ralph Hise Just Filed A “Vouchers For All” Bill During A Pandemic

"State Auditor Beth Wood says North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction will have to repay $18 million in federal money intended for students with disabilities because of department errors." Those words begin Ann Doss Helms's report for WFAE yesterday on the audit of DPI that was released last week right before another contentious NC State … Continue reading 7 Reasons Mark Johnson Is Responsible For This “Fireable” Offense: About That Audit Of DPI

Below is a map provided by EdNC.org that plots the most recent school performance grades across North Carolina. Below is the latest available map from NC DIT of broadband internet availability. And consider where some of the larger cities in North Carolina are and their proximity to other "metro" areas. Now superimpose the school performance grades with … Continue reading Mapping Broadband Connectivity & School Performance Grades Amidst COVID-19