Politicians and newsmakers have lately developed a penchant for the words “libel,” “slander,” and “defamation.” Oftentimes these words, salient and distinct, are used carelessly and ignorantly. Writers and irresponsible journalists have in fact lurched off course — accidentally or deliberately — and sometimes — after…
The 2018 ACT scores are in, and they don’t paint a pretty picture. North Carolina graduates continue to score below national averages, and the percentage of graduates meeting math and English college readiness scores are…
In 2015, Greg Lukianoff, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, and Jonathan Haidt, professor of ethical leadership at New York University, wrote an article for The Atlantic entitled “The Coddling of the American Mind.” In that article, the authors argued that students increasingly react to words, books,…
The U.S. Department of Education is poised to replace Obama-era regulations on for-profit colleges and universities with more broad-based transparency measures. On Aug. 10, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos revealed her plan to fully repeal the “gainful employment” regulations that required for-profit colleges to publish information on their graduates’ student…
North Carolina has won a federal grant totaling $23.6 million over five years to expand charter school opportunities. Dave Machado, state Office of Charter Schools director, announced the awards Wednesday, Oct. 3 during the monthly meeting of the State Board of Education. Machado told board…
High school tests the mettle of many teens. Surveys, both informal and scientific, reveal pervasive stress. A poll of more than 35,000 teens, released this spring by the app, After School, found 45 percent felt stressed “all the time.” The American Psychological Association’s earlier 2014 “Stress in America” survey found teens’…
As he campaigned for the Republican presidential nomination in the winter of 1999, then-Gov. George W. Bush delivered his memorable “soft bigotry of low expectations” speech before the Latino Business Association in Los Angeles. “Now some say it is unfair to hold disadvantaged children to rigorous standards,” Bush remarked.
In North Carolina, state law empowers county commissions to oversee school facilities and the collection and appropriation of local tax dollars to school districts. Unlike other states, cities and towns in North Carolina have few direct responsibilities for the public schools in their jurisdiction. Traditionally, municipalities have undertaken infrastructure, zoning, and…
Classic literature has fallen from favor in English class. The movement away from the literary canon, begun decades ago, has accelerated rapidly following adoption of Common Core standards by most states eight years ago. Some states, including North Carolina, have revised these standards. But the devaluation of classic literature is…
Red4EdNC, a nonprofit education advocacy group, isn’t happy with the state of public education in North Carolina. The group, composed of public school teachers, on Friday, Aug. 24, shared a litany of concerns with how the General Assembly has handled public education. Angela…
