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Lindalyn Kakadelis

Email: lkakadelis@nceducationalliance.org

Since 2003, Lindalyn Kakadelis has served as the Director of the North Carolina Education Alliance, a resource network providing North Carolinians with comprehensive data on topics affecting K-12 education. Dedicated to the fundamental reform of our state's educational system, the Alliance identifies and publicizes innovative and effective solutions to North Carolina's education problems.

Before coming to the Alliance, Mrs. Kakadelis served as the director of the Children’s Scholarship Fund (CSF) of Charlotte for more than two years. CSF, a privately-funded charity providing tuition assistance to lower-income students, gives disadvantaged families the freedom to choose the best school for their child. Now helping more than 400 children, CSF partners with 70 independent schools. Mrs. Kakadelis also served two terms on the Charlotte Mecklenburg Board of Education (CMS). First elected in 1995, she worked on the Legislative and Curriculum Committees and chaired the Policy Committee. One of Mrs. Kakadelis' key achievements as a CMS board member was her involvement in the implementation of an urban public school choice plan benefiting more than 100,000 students. Mrs. Kakadelis has also served as a founding Board member of Queen’s Grant Charter School in Charlotte.

Mrs. Kakadelis began her career in education as an elementary schoolteacher, later becoming a preschool director, PTA member, and PTA legislative chairperson when she had children. Above all, her career has been governed by a commitment to empowering families through educational freedom and competition. Mrs. Kakadelis' work is based on the belief that all children − poor or privileged − deserve an opportunity to attend the public, private, or religious school best suited to their needs. In addition, she believes that competition between schools − through choice and other market-based reforms − results in a better education for students.

Mrs. Kakadelis is a frequent guest on talk radio and television programs throughout North Carolina, and often speaks at public policy forums and gatherings. Her articles appear in a wide range of publications, including the educational resource guide, SouthEast Education Network, numerous state newspapers such as the Greensboro News and Record and the Raleigh News and Observer, as well as a monthly column for the Carolina Journal. If she can assist you or your organization by speaking or writing on education and public policy issues, please contact her by phone at 704.231.9767, or by e-mail.

View Mrs. Kakadelis' curriculum vitae to learn more about her professional, community, educational, and personal experiences.


Articles by Lindalyn Kakadelis

(5.20.08) Few states set world-class standards
STANFORD, CA — In this report produced by the Hoover Institute, 2007 test-score information is used to evaluate the rigor of each state’s proficiency standards against the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). NC's overall average: D+.

(4.07.08) Education Tax Credits in North Carolina
RALEIGH – New education tax credits would help more North Carolina parents choose the best schools for their children, while potentially saving the state millions of dollars each year. That’s a key conclusion of a new N.C. Education Alliance Policy Report.

(1.14.08) UNC Education Schools
RALEIGH — The University of North Carolina is placing great emphasis on increasing the number of teachers in the state. But how good is the education that these future teachers are receiving? This paper looks at a major problem found in schools of education.

(1.14.08) Quality counts 2008
BETHESDA, MD — Education Week’s Quality Counts continues the cradle-to-career state-by-state framework launched in last year’s report. This perspective emphasizes the connections between K-12 education and other systems with which it intersects.

(8.30.07) Lindalyn's Journal
Across the state this week, school is back in session. Buses rolled out at dawn on Monday morning against a backdrop of academic optimism for the year ahead. What can we expect to see in the way of student achievement? If newly released data on student performance last year are any indication, we have an uphill climb ahead of us.

(8.27.07) Back-to-school statistics
WASHINGTON, DC — Nearly 50 million students are heading off to approximately 97,000 public schools. Before the school year is out, an estimated $489 billion will be spent related to their education, with an average of $9,969 to be spent per pupil for fall enrollment.

(8.23.07) Lindalyn's Journal
Traditional North Carolina public schools will open their doors next week under mounting pressure to perform. Last Friday, the Department of Public Instruction released Preliminary 2007 Results of Average Yearly Progress (AYP) for each school in the state, and the news wasn’t good: this past year, more and more schools failed to measure up to federal requirements.

(8.16.07) Lindalyn's Journal
Thanks to the actions of U.S. government officials, we will soon get a chance to discover whether ignorance really is bliss. According to the August 9th online edition of Newsweek, American students will no longer participate in the international Trends in Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS).

(8.09.07) Lindalyn's Journal
Last Thursday, the 120 House and 50 Senate members of the North Carolina General Assembly adjourned for the year, leaving much undone. While the General Assembly ratified a passel of laws, none is likely to usher in meaningful reform for North Carolina’s public schools. That will have to wait until the next session convenes in nine months, in May 2008.

(8.02.07) Lindalyn's Journal
The $20.7 billion State Budget passed this week spends more than ever on government programs, and leaves less money for you and your family.

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