Throughout North Carolina, every local school board is wrestling with not just how to negotiate coming out of the pandemic. They are having to deal with problems fueled by partisan-fueled emotions. They are even having to consider this whole “CRT” discussion and the banning of books. I do not envy anyone having to fulfill the … Continue reading These Past Two Years Have Shown Us That Local School Board Elections Are That Important For Every NC School System

Todd Chasteen came to the State Board of Education in 2016 having been nominated by then Gov. Pat McCrory. Ironically, the senior education advisor to McCory at the time was current State Superintendent, Catherine Truitt. Maybe that is not ironic. Today, it was reported that Chasteen was resigning from the State Board of Education citing … Continue reading This State Board Of Education Member Is Resigning For Hypocritical Reasons

Teachers did not institute school performance grades that measure achievement on standardized test scores heavily over student growth. The North Carolina General Assembly did. Teachers did not remove longevity pay, graduate degree pay, due-process rights, and retiree health benefits. The North Carolina General Assembly did. Teachers did not create a non-transparent voucher system, rampant charter … Continue reading Don’t Like The State Of Public Education? Don’t Look At Teachers; Look At Who “Legislates” Them.

Our public schools are better than many lawmakers portray them to be – lawmakers who have never spent time as educators. A lot better. And the problem is not the schools. The problem is the lawmaking body that controls the narrative of how schools are performing. With the constant dialogue that “we must improve schools” … Continue reading Our Public Schools Are Better Than The North Carolina General Assembly Wants You to Believe

Yes, North Carolina is not Oklahoma. But North Carolina is not "O.K." like Oklahoma - especially when it comes to treating teachers. This is a recently filed bill. "Oklahoma Republican Senator Rob Standridge has introduced a bill that would allow people to sue teachers if they offer an opposing view to the religious beliefs held by students." … Continue reading You’re “Not (Doin’) Fine, Oklahoma! Oklahoma (Not) O.K.! “

“We’ve got to redefine what the purpose of K-12 education is. Some would say it’s to produce critical thinkers. But my team and I believe that the purpose of a public K-12 education is to prepare students for post-secondary plans of their choice so that they can be a functioning member of the workforce.”– STATE … Continue reading The Cruel Irony Of “The Year Of The Workforce”

In her November 22nd, 2020 interview with Fox News, State Supt. Catherine Truitt was quoted as telling the producers of the segment that “between March and September students lost on average 50% in literacy and 70% for math.” She was talking about “learning loss” due to the pandemic. Listen for yourself. Click here for the link. … Continue reading This Is True Learning Loss

In October of 2017, the venerable James Ford (at the time of the Public School Forum) delivered the keynote address at the North Carolina English Teacher’s Association. It was more than exceptional as Ford highlighted that what hurts our schools most are external factors that are not being dealt with such as systemic poverty. Part … Continue reading Remember EVAAS? It’s Still Here & It’s Still Bad

I use Maus in my classroom. But apparently it scares some parents in other places. And today is Holocaust Remembrance Day. And here is a former English teacher who knows a lot about books:

Within the last few months, the number of bills introduced in state legislatures around the country by GOP majorities (such as we have here in NC) aimed at deprofessionalizing the teaching profession is rising. It is not inconceivable to think that there are many in Raleigh who wish to introduce similar bills to gain more … Continue reading Loyalty Oaths, Constant Microphones, White “Discomfort” & No MLK: Possible In North Carolina?