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An interesting exchange apparently occurred today in the State Board of Education meeting between state board members and state superintendent Mark Johnson concerning the gifting of 100 iPads to a high school teacher in Greenville. He said that the "teacher reached out to him & that others can too." Mr. Johnson, teachers have reached out. … Continue reading Mark Johnson Tells Us We Can “Reach Out To Him” For Teacher Needs. I Need A New State Superintendent.

From June of 2016 concerning the Achievement School District, now the Innovative School District (ISD): “They will make great growth,” declared (Sen. Jerry) Tillman. “That’s a fact.” Below are screenshots from the very recently given report on the ISD's performance in year one of its control over one school with less than 220 students. Remember that … Continue reading The Innovative School District Just Presented Its Year One Evaluation. It’s Not Good.

When Duke University’s Children’s Law Center’s released its March 2017 report called SCHOOL VOUCHERS IN NORTH CAROLINA : THE FIRST THREE YEARS one of the most glaring aspects of the program was how many vouchers were being used at religiously affiliated schools. Some of the observations of the study included: Approximately 93% of the vouchers have been used … Continue reading Maybe Franklin Graham Should Fund The Opportunity Grants Since He Wants All Christian Students In Private Schools

WRAL.com reported today that the remaining iPads in a central warehouse have now been distributed by Mark Johnson's office after repeated inquiries by news organizations and public school advocates. RALEIGH, N.C. — More than 3,200 iPads sitting in a state warehouse – 2,400 of them for the past year – have all been delivered to school … Continue reading Mark Johnson’s Almost “Oprah” Moment

As it currently stands, iStation's implementation of its products to be used in the state's Read to Achieve initiative currently has a temporary stay in place by the Department of Information Technology. In response, Mark Johnson reminded North Carolinians that he was a lawyer and offered his defiance. In a reaction that has also been … Continue reading About That “Memorandum Of Agreement” Between DPI and iStation – Are You Sure This Is For Free?

In a recent EdNC.org op-ed, Rhonda Dillingham, Executive Director of the North Carolina Association for Public Charter Schools, defended North Carolina’s charter schools from criticism concerning perpetuating segregation. She said, “Since then (1996), charter schools, which will always be free and open to all, have offered exceptional student learning environments and created opportunities for all students nationwide — … Continue reading No. North Carolina’s Charter Schools Are Not As Diverse As Some Would Claim

In 2016, then Rep. Rob Bryan and the House Committee on Education, pushed through a bill that would establish an ASD (Achievement School District) in North Carolina allowing the control of some of the state’s low-performing schools to be outsourced to out-of-state entities. That ASD was renamed the Innovative School District (ISD) in 2017 in … Continue reading Rob Bryan Is Back: The Man Who Brought NC The ISD Is Representing Oregon In The NCGA

I miss Chris Farley. His stint on Saturday Night Live is still memorable. There’s that opening number with Patrick Swayze where he and Swayze were competing for a spot in the Chippendale dancers. Then there’s Matt Foley, a motivational speaker who lives “in a van down by the river.” But my favorite Chris Farley performance was not … Continue reading How Chris Farley and Tommy Boy Accurately Explain Educational Policy in North Carolina

This past Monday, Mark Johnson and DPI announced that it was sending 200 iPads to the K-12 school on Ocracoke Island in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Florence. While it may be easy to use this episode to add comment to the months long saga of Mark Johnson's love relationship with iPads and … Continue reading Mr. State Superintendent, Ocracoke Needs More Than iPads